Public survey launched on future of Wards Corner

The local community has until mid-February to have their say on the project, reports Fran Di Fazio

Wards Corner Community Benefit Society (CBS) is seeking the local community’s input on its plans for Wards Corner’s future. As part of the Wards Corner Community Plan, the Seven Sisters Indoor Market and historic Wards Buildings will be refurbished for community development purposes. The buildings would be democratically owned by Wards Corner CBS
and the surrounding community.

As part of the Wards Corner Community Plan, the Seven Sisters Indoor Market and historic Wards Buildings will be
refurbished for community development purposes. The buildings would be democratically owned by Wards Corner CBS
and the surrounding community.

Elara Shurety, secretary of the CBS, said: “The Seven Sisters Market and Wards Corner site have experienced years of neglect and managed decline. The Wards Corner Community Plan is a viable and coherent answer to this problem, offering a model for communities across the country seeking to rethink urban change.”

Elara added: “In addition to this, as soon as possible, we hope to see a temporary solution for Seven Sisters Market traders, who have had to deal with the consequences of the market’s closure since March 2020. This is of utmost importance, given the economic uncertainty and precarity resulting from the long delays traders have experienced.”

Wards Corner CBS will bid for a lease on the site, which is currently owned by Transport for London. The Seven Sisters Market Traders Association (SSMTA) has lent support to the project.

In addition, Wards Corner CBS is going to open up membership for the local community and beyond through a community share offer. People will be able to become members by buying shares, enabling them to have their say on the project’s direction. Key aspects of the community share offer, including membership costs, are the topic of the current survey, which will be running until mid-February.

Elara said: “We believe we have a massive opportunity to show how the same old story, of redevelopment and gentrification, should be different – and can be when the power of a community comes together.”

Find out more at wardscorner.org.

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