a community’s ongoing struggle

For more than two decades, the fight to save Seven Sisters Indoor Market has stood as a powerful example of community resistance against displacement and redevelopment. The struggle began when the Wards Corner site was targeted for regeneration, with the Council partnering with property developer Grainger PLC to build luxury flats and additional retail space.

The approval of the Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) in 2019 intensified fears for the future of the market, the historic building itself, and the neighbouring local businesses and residents threatened with forced eviction. For many in the community, the redevelopment plans represented not renewal, but the loss of an important cultural, social and economic space.

In response, traders, residents, architects, volunteers and activists came together to create an alternative vision for Wards Corner. Following years of extensive community engagement and voluntary effort, the fourth version of the Community Plan received planning permission in 2019. The proposal was designed to protect and strengthen the existing market, building on the character that has evolved organically over generations to support the area’s multicultural, multi-generational and community-led identity.

Despite numerous setbacks, the campaign has never stopped. The need for a new Community Plan remains urgent as local communities continue to face persistent threats of displacement and gentrification. Over the years, the movement has taken many forms — from salsa events and human chains to marches, demonstrations, fundraising events, crowdfunding campaigns and legal challenges.

The longevity and strength of the campaign are rooted in the relentless dedication of traders, residents, volunteers and supporters who have continued to organise, resist and imagine a different future for Wards Corner. Their struggle is not only about saving a building or a market, but about defending culture, community and the right to remain.

The struggle continues. No paramos.

A Home Away From Home

Seven Sisters Market has been recognised as an Asset of Community Value by Haringey Council since 2014. Home to more than 36 businesses and supporting around 100 jobs, the market represents a diverse Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) community. While many of the businesses are run by (or primarily serve) the Latin American community, the market’s significance extends far beyond one community alone.

For decades, Seven Sisters Market has acted as an essential social, cultural and economic hub for migrant and diaspora communities across London. Customers travel from across the city — and even from outside London — to access the unique goods, services and sense of belonging that the market provides. More than simply a commercial space, the market functions as a vital community anchor where migrant communities can maintain cultural connections, share knowledge and build support networks.

The businesses within the market play multiple roles in community life. Alongside supermarkets, cafés, restaurants, hairdressers and independent shops, the market also operates as an informal infrastructure of care and mutual support. Traders and business owners have provided guidance on housing, employment opportunities, immigration processes, language learning, education and starting small businesses. In this way, the market serves as a crucial entry point and support system for newly arrived migrants and long-established diaspora communities alike.

The long-running campaign to protect Seven Sisters Market and Wards Corner has generated substantial evidence of its economic, social and cultural value. At its heart, the struggle is about defending a living cultural ecosystem that continues to sustain generations of diaspora and migrant communities in Tottenham and across London.

Previous Community Plans

The current Community Plan represents the fourth iteration of a community-led design process that began in 2007. While certain aspects of the scheme have evolved in the twelve years since the very first iteration was conceived, the core philosophy to protect and celebrate the existing market has remained in tact.

First Plan (2007):

The very first plan sought to upgrade the ground floor market, renovate the front facade of the corner site and terraced building and provide additional office, retail and cafe space. On the second floor, the scheme proposes 8 one bed flats. In addition to the alterations to the corner site and market building, the scheme details potential affordable housing accommodation in the surrounding block, estimated at approximately 200 units.

Ref. HGY/2008/0177

Second Scheme (2011):

This iteration follows the ethos of the first scheme quite closely. The scheme centres on the refurbishment and renovation of the exteriors of the corner site and terraced building, improvements to the internal layout of the market and proposals for the expansion of retail, office and cafe/restaurant floorspace.

Ref. HGY/2011/1275

Third Plan (2014):

This third scheme, submitted after a long and comprehensive period of consultation, significantly evolves the second and first iterations: it retains and enhances historic elements of the building; maximises the vacant space on the corner site and first floor to provide additional retail and office space; and reconfigures the ground floor market layout to echo the historic plan of the department store, including the reinstating of a grand central staircase to the first floor and original lightwells. An exterior canopy is proposed to emphasise the market’s presence on the High Road.

Ref. HGY/2014/0575

Archive Photos

*Courtesy Bruce Castle Museum (Haringey Archive & Museum Service)

the wards corner building

Wards Corner is located at the foot of Tottenham High Road in the London Borough of Haringey. Historically, Tottenham High Road formed one of the main routes in and out of London, establishing the Seven Sisters junction as an important commercial and transport hub with a strong identity centred around trade, movement and local business activity.

The locally listed Edwardian corner building, together with its remodelled residential terraces, opened in 1901 as Wards Department Store. At the time, the store was regarded as one of the grand department stores of North London and became an important landmark within Tottenham’s social and commercial history. For generations, it served the surrounding community before eventually closing in 1972, shortly after the opening of the Victoria Line created a faster and more direct connection between Tottenham and central London.

In 1973, Transport for London acquired the site through a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO). From 1985 onwards, the ground floor was leased to a range of independent traders who gradually transformed the space into what is now known as Seven Sisters Indoor Market. Initially, the market largely served African and Caribbean communities living in Tottenham and the surrounding areas. Over time, as migration patterns in London evolved, the market increasingly became a vital centre for Latin American businesses, traders and customers, particularly from the Colombian diaspora.

The market developed organically over several decades, adapting to the social, economic and cultural needs of the communities who used it. More than simply a place of commerce, it became a significant cultural and community space for migrant and diaspora communities across London. Independent shops, cafés, restaurants, salons and service providers created an environment where language, food, music and cultural traditions could be maintained and shared across generations.

Today, Wards Corner and Seven Sisters Market represent an important part of Tottenham’s living heritage — not only because of the historic building itself, but because of the communities, cultures and social networks that continue to shape and sustain the space.