News 07•16
The new Flower Market will now open on Monday 27 February 2017
We are moving the opening date of the new Flower Market to Monday 27 February 2017. This is a change of date from 9 January 2017.
The reason for this change is to make sure that the move is as smooth as possible for everyone. Thames Water need to access the Flower Market’s new site near our Main Entrance for investigations and we’re worried these works could over-run and delay construction on the new building. We want to be absolutely certain there will be nothing to prevent a smooth move.
Our wholesalers will now move over the weekend 25-26 February and we’ll be ready to open for business in our new home on Monday 27 February 2017.
The new date means we’ll have access to the building for a longer period before the move, which gives us more time for pre-move preparations. We have chosen 27 February so that you will have a chance to recover from Valentine’s Day and still have plenty of time to get settled into your new home before Mothers’ Day on 26 March.
We’re sorry we have to move the date again and for any of your plans that may need to change because of it. It will be an exciting move, but it’s vital we have the time we need to get it right.
If you have any questions about the move or the new date please do get in touch. We’re always happy to talk to you and help.
Creating an Edible Avenue on Thessaly Road
Tracing the boundary of the market is a large red brick wall, essential for keeping those in and around the market safe. But it’s not the friendliest of objects and nowhere is its presence felt more than when walking down Thessaly Road.
What if our wall could be a vibrant landmark in the area, one that brings people together, celebrates fresh produce and brightens up city living for our neighbours? We are working with The Edible Bus Stop, the London based collective of landscape designers and gardeners, and our development partner, VINCI St. Modwen, to do just that.
We are giving the wall a major makeover, using a traditional white picket fence that folds and curves to form a series of seating and planting areas with fruit bushes, trailing plants, edible flowers and herbs planted throughout. We are painting the wall in a range of uplifting colours and line drawings, along the length of the wall, will echo the area’s rich history and community.
Our concept, called Edible Avenue, celebrates the fresh produce that comes in and out of the market on a daily basis. Before the Industrial Revolution, much of Nine Elms was farmland, providing food for the City of London. We will build upon this market garden heritage by using food growing as a tool to connect people.
We are inviting those who live in the area to get involved with the planting and tending of these mini gardens and help themselves at harvesting events. Our aim is to get people of all ages involved, to garden and grow together, to learn from each other, and to chat and have fun.
New Entrance Plaza construction
If you’ve come into the market via our Main Entrance recently, you will have seen that the steel frame for our new Entrance Plaza is now up.
We are now laying the tarmac for the whole entrance area and road. As you know, we’ve had to close the Main Exit for five weeks to allow us to do this. Thank you for your continued patience while we get this work done.
Once complete, the next step will be to install the entrance barriers and entry system.
We’ll be opening and switching to the new Entrance Plaza in early autumn. Initially we will open with four lanes, with the fifth lane opening once all our tenants on A Row have moved to their new units.
The Pavilion site
We have now fully demolished the Pavilion and we are starting to prepare the site for the next phase.
To start with, we are carrying out an archaeological dig. This is just precautionary and involves digging a large trench to check nothing of historical value lies beneath the ground, given the rich history of the site long before it was ever a market.
We’ll then move onto laying the foundations for The Garden Heart building and our Interim Distribution Units, which will house a few of our distributor tenants.
We’ll also be doing some works to the road to the west of the Pavilion, moving the road closer to the main market buildings. More on this to follow nearer the start date.
Construction Programme
Click on the image to view a larger version of the construction programme.