Whenever London’s South Americans go looking for a job, a helping hand, the flavours of home or a party with their compatriots, they head to the Latino indoor market in Seven Sisters.
But looming redevelopment projects have raised fears that this and other cherished enclaves could be destroyed.
“When I arrived here, I went directly to Seven Sisters, because I did not know any English, I wanted work and I needed help,” said Colombian Ana Castro, 38, who has lived in London for a decade.
The market, located in a working-class neighbourhood in northeast London, is known as Pueblito Paisa, or Latin Village.
Here, Latinos seek out empanada pasties and arepas to snack on before having a haircut and sending remittance money back home.
But above all, it is the place to go for newcomers seeking guidance through Britain’s bureaucratic hurdles — or simply an English speaker to accompany them to the doctors’ surgery.
Many of the market stalls are without running water, so the traders, mostly Colombians, have to fill up buckets in the local cafes, where the menus are chalked in Spanish.
New tower
A series of regeneration proposals, from 2007 onwards, have been blocked.
However, the community hub is now facing demolition, with the land being sold and the market set to be replaced with 196 homes on top of more than 3,500 square metres (38,000 square feet) of commercial space.
A group of traders and locals, led by Colombian Victoria Alvarez, has filed papers to England’s High Court claiming that the “community character of the market is going to be destroyed”, she told AFP.
The developer is offering to temporarily relocate all the stalls to a new tower it has built across the road.
The plan is to build “a sustainable new long-term market, deliver new homes and business space,” said Joseph Ejiofor, leader of the Haringey Council local authority.
“When the market moves back to the site, returning traders have a clear list of commitments, including reduced rent and the guarantee of equivalent space.”