London's ancient meat and fish markets just dodged permanent closure after the City of London Corporation picked Albert Island in the Docklands as their next spot. Smithfield and Billingsgate were almost toast when budget overruns killed a previous relocation plan to Dagenham, but the corporation locked in a 10-hectare brownfield site near London City Airport that should keep traders alive while pumping 750 million pounds into one of the city's broke neighborhoods.
Traders had been freaking out for months because shutting down would wreck supply chains for independent butchers and fishmongers across the region. The markets still handle around 10 percent of meat and fish for London and the southeast despite being way smaller than their pre-supermarket glory days. Planning approval from Newham Council and a private bill through Parliament are still needed to unstick the markets from their current legal addresses, and everyone can stay put until at least 2028 while construction happens.
Traders had been freaking out for months because shutting down would wreck supply chains for independent butchers and fishmongers across the region. The markets still handle around 10 percent of meat and fish for London and the southeast despite being way smaller than their pre-supermarket glory days. Planning approval from Newham Council and a private bill through Parliament are still needed to unstick the markets from their current legal addresses, and everyone can stay put until at least 2028 while construction happens.
