Residents fear Wapping Lane high street could be lost

The quiet stretch of road between Wapping and Shadwell station in Tower Hamlets does not resemble London’s current high streets full of never ending queues and chains, instead boasting a traditional family butcher’s, a longstanding fish and chip shop and a welcoming cafe with a really local feel.

But what some feel is one of the city’s last truly local high streets is in decline. Residents have shared their fears that all of the characteristics that make the hidden gem stand out could be lost as more of the small shops seem to be closing their shutters for the final time.

Four of the units were boarded up and left empty or closed in the middle of the day along the small lane when the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) visited.

“It’s dead around here,” Stuart Shaer says. He has lived in the area all his life and comes over to use the local launderette and post office.

“I mean the shops here used to be busy very many years ago. There used to be a nice bakery – it was a nice little shopping parade. But it’s changed; like anything else. You can’t liven this up. It’s just the people who live around here who know it.”

Blacked-out signs and drawn-down shutters are becoming more of a common sight along Wapping Lane (Image: Nadia Lincoln LDRS)

Ian Hussey, a butcher, said that many businesses were suffering as Tower Hamlets Council had hiked up prices in rent. He took over the shop from his father in 1968 and has been serving the community for more than 50 years.

“I don’t believe that the council actually want shops down here. I think they want to make it residential. Why would they have allowed Sainsbury’s to come on the corner?

“[Footfall] has dropped considerably because the veg shop’s closed, the baker’s has closed. With the meat, we have to be very very specialist to make sure that we have everything – a very full comprehensive selection – so that people come to us.

“I just don’t think [the council] care. They shouldn’t have put the rent up. They shouldn’t be so hot with the parking. They just need to slacken up.”

He said that the shop was still performing well thanks to a strong stream of regular customers, but he recently had to close the local greengrocers just a few doors down.

Tucked inside Cinnamon, a snug independent cafe on the high street, manager Florence Rees-Waite said the area was "eerily quiet" at times, but chalked it down to being a mainly residential area.

Many residents said there was still a desire for a local bakery, even after the store had been boarded up (Image: Nadia Lincoln LDRS)

She said the cafe itself had not noticed much difference in their customers, but in conversations with the other businesses they all seemed to agree it had quietened down.

She said: “Wapping as a community is incredibly strong so people do try and support all of the local businesses.

"I know that [rent prices] were very reasonable and then recently, within this year, they have put them up quite a lot. These are small independent businesses and it will just push everyone out because they can’t afford it.”

Wandering down the street, 91-year-old resident Roland Hallfors said there were very few people that walked down Wapping Lane anymore. He praised Wapping as a "fantastic" place to live and said he liked that it was quieter than surrounding areas.

On the high street shops closing down, he added: “We had a bakery in the corner, there are still [some shops left] but I think they will close down as well. I think that it will be Sainsbury’s, Husseys and the pharmacy and the post office which will stay on there.”

Councillor Abdal Ullah (Labour, St Katharine’s and Wapping) said that more could be done to help local businesses in the area.

Roland Hallfors (Image: Nadia Lincoln LDRS)

He said: “I grew up in the area and each one of those shops from the launderette, the post office, the chemist and the chip shop have been part of the fabric of the community. It’s quite tough but I think there’s quite a good drive to shop local and help out the independent businesses..

“We’re tucked away so the footfall is minimal numbers. We definitely want to do more to encourage local business.

"We are served well, but, as I say, Wapping Lane could do with more of a council injection.”

A Tower Hamlets Council spokesperson said: “We recognise that the pandemic and the ongoing cost of living crisis have created significant challenges for our local businesses.

“The Sainsbury’s supermarket is set to open in premises that were previously used for retail space, which means that there is no need to apply for planning permission.

“Local businesses play a vital role in our community, and in October, we announced a £700,000 investment to support them. Additionally, we are preparing to launch two new projects specifically designed for established businesses.

“The council also provides a comprehensive planning advice service that local businesses can use if they are thinking about applying for planning permission.”