Islington councillors are fighting the closure of Essex Road’s beloved Market Garden grocer’s.
As reported in the Gazette last month, co-owner Jacqui Emery and her husband have been told by their landlord to leave in June – after more than 20 years of trading.
It prompted a petition urging the landlord to reconsider, and for Islington Council to step in. So far, it’s been signed by more than 700 people.
Cllr Asima Shaikh, Islington’s economic development leader, has written to the landlord.
She, with fellow St Peter’s ward Cllrs Alice Perry and Martin Clute, also wrote in a letter to the Gazette: “The landlord has not contacted the council about any proposed plans and a planning application has not been submitted.
“Islington Council has strict planning policies in place to protect vital space for employment, including shops like Market Garden. Our policies mean the landlord would find it extremely difficult to change the use of the building or to build unaffordable luxury flats.”
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