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Camden market to rise from the ashes
Ruth Bloomfield30.10.09
This is the first image of plans to rebuild Camden's Canal Market, which was devastated by fire last year.
The owners of the site have unveiled proposals for a new covered market alongside the Regent's Canal, which will have a series of buildings with distinctive rooftop pavilions linked by walkways.
There will also be 130 homes in blocks up to seven storeys tall, and the developers have not ruled out adding a hotel. Consultation has begun on the proposals and a planning application could be made by the end of the year.
Canal Market was burned down in February last year after a portable heater caught fire. Some 450 residents had to leave their homes as firefighters tackled 100ft flames. The bill for the damage was £30million.
The market site has since reopened with temporary "shed style" stalls.
Redevelopments of Camden's Lock and Stables Market have been criticised for driving out small traders, so locals are keen that the developers prioritise independent stallholders.
Andrew McMillan, of business partnership Camden Town Unlimited, said: "What we all know about Camden is that the independent stores and stallholders make it what it is. We don't want it turned into anywhereville."
Eleanor Botwright, director of the nearby Castlehaven Community Centre, said: "We want something of value to residents as well as tourists, with Borough Market as a model."
Mark Alper, spokesman for developers Stanley Sidings, added: "We do not wish to turn it into a shopping mall."
Music fans will be able to live in the Camden pub that helped launch bands such as Muse and Coldplay. The owners of The Falcon, home of the Barfly club until 2000, have won permission to convert the ground floor into flats.
