About

The Food Court Action Group (FCAG) is a resident-led initiative, formed for the purpose of ending the serious health, safety, hygiene, and planning violations in the Petticoat Lane area. It aims to establish safe and sanitary conditions for the community, and to ensure that the significant harm inflicted on both residents and historic buildings is fully addressed.

Residents have raised serious concerns for years. Not only has Tower Hamlets Council (LBTH) failed to adequately respond, it has continued to promote and expand the food court. Given its track record, LBTH cannot be trusted to enforce reforms. It has also become clear that the area is entirely unsuitable for such food operations as:

• The necessary infrastructure does not exist.

• These food operations are directly beneath and adjacent to high-density housing, and have made daily life intolerable for residents.

• These food operations are in a conservation area, which is on the Heritage at Risk Register and listed by Historic England as in “very bad” condition.

The only viable solution is for the food court and all other offending units to be shut down immediately. Those responsible must be held to account. They must address the harm caused to residents and repair the extensive damage inflicted on historic buildings and streets. Protections must be put in place to ensure that this cannot happen again.