Mercato Metropolitano has received planning permission for a new circular economy community market as part of the cultural quarter project known as The Spark – Ilford in East London.
The project is part of Redbridge Council’s vision for the future of Ilford established through the publication in 2017 of the “Ilford for All” Manifesto and will be developed with support from the London Economic Action Partnership.
Mercato Ilford will be the first example in the UK of an integrated circular-economy community food market, featuring a fully functional urban farm on the rooftop, which will produce herbs and vegetables to be purchased by artisan restauranteurs and retailers within the market.
There will be also an anaerobic digester, which will convert organic waste into energy, heating and compost for the rooftop urban farm. Community residents and visitors will be able to access freshly produced food from a range of cultures and countries, and will participate in food education and nutrition programmes, as well as various entertainment events, within a vibrant space in the heart of town.
This is intended to present a solution to the growing crisis in affordability of retail premises within city centres.
“With Mercato Ilford, we want to demonstrate that, with an inclusive, collaborative and balanced business model, true food artisans, urban farmers and community-focused offerings can become financially viable businesses, despite high real estate costs and the rising of business rates in the UK,” said Amedeo Claris, COO of Mercato Metropolitano.
The project is a collaboration between Mercato Metropolitano, the operator of sustainable community food markets, Redbridge Council, the London Economic Action Partnership and the Greater London Authority.
In 2017, Mercato Metropolitano made an expression of interest to Redbridge Council for the re-development of approximately 31,000 sq ft of land – currently used as an open car park – into a community market, which could contribute to the creation of a more inclusive day and night economy, provide access to natural and sustainable food to the local residents and make a positive social impact to an area within the town centre in need of regeneration.
The Mercato Metropolitano proposal was selected alongside two other community-interest projects: a workspace for artists provided by Space Studio and a business hub for start-up food entrepreneurs operated by Things Made Public. Together with an innovative ‘pop-up’ hostel to be created by Salvation Army in partnership with Redbridge Council, they will comprise the cultural quarter partnership known as The Spark – Ilford.
In 2018, the Council helped securing a £1.8 million grant from the London Economic Action Partnership and Mayor of London’s Good Growth Fund, a £70 million public fund dedicated to urban regeneration projects, of which £1.4 million will be used to fund the building of Mercato Ilford.
RPA Perspective Mercato Ilford will include communal seating for 600 people, space for 30 stalls, and is expected to generate over 150 jobs for the local area. The market is a unique and pioneering project with a zero-waste focus and a sustainable supply chain, with a food offer including Mediterranean restaurants, Middle Eastern grills, pan-Asian food and a low-packaging grocery stores, among others, as well as a fully-fitted German craft brewery, which will brew fresh beer and produce mineral water on-site, thanks to a proprietary water distillation and mineralisation technology.
Community cooking classes will provide local residents from all walks of life the opportunity to learn how to prepare high-quality, nutritious and affordable meals. The community market launched by Mercato Metropolitano in Elephant and Castle late in 2016, has already provided free cooking classes to over 750 school children in 2018 alone.
Andrea Rasca, Founder and ‘chief executive of Mercato Metropolitano, said: “We are really excited to be opening a new site within the Ilford’s cultural quarter. At Mercato Metropolitano we believe in sustainability and community-focused business above all else, and I truly believe that Mercato Ilford will be a catalyst of diverse cultures and passionate people, coming together to enjoy good food from all over the world without cultural or societal barriers. We will be looking at much more than simply eating, will our social-impact programmes to tackle food poverty, the importance of good nutrition and the fighting of loneliness and isolation within the community.”
