The mall versus the market

Traders at one of London's oldest and most vibrant street markets claim they are being driven to the wall by their "greedy" landlords at Ken Livingstone's Transport for London.

They warn that 94-year-old Shepherd's Bush Market will be gone within three years, killed off by soaring rents, mismanagement and what they say is TfL's "favouritism" towards the new Westfield shopping centre half a mile away.

The market, visited this week by Conservative mayoral candidate Boris Johnson, is famed for its variety of fabric stalls and its "kasbah-like" warren of walkways between ethnic food stalls.

Traders say property managers at TfL are devoting all their resources to the 150,000 sq ft shopping centre development, in which it is a partner with Australian company Westfield. "It is a David and Goliath situation," said one.

James Horada, chairman of the Shepherd's Bush Market Traders Association, said rents were being increased by between 50 and 200 per cent on top of annual service charges of more than £1,400 a stall. This is despite the market making a £1.2million a year profit for TfL.

He said: "TfL are being ridiculously greedy. What they are asking for will break us. Maybe that is what they want. Their social concern about the community is non-existent."

Mr Horada, whose grandfather Dave opened the family fabric stall in 1919, said underinvestment had left the market with a leaking canopy, poor drainage and inadequate lighting. Customers were being driven away. His stall served 1,000 a day in the Nineties but 2,000 a month now.

Mr Horada said the closure of the Tube station at Shepherd's Bush on the Central line and the re-routing of buses were being organised " to accommodate Westfield".

A TfL spokesperson said: "TfL has spent over £200,000 in the last year maintaining and improving the market, including spending on security, new lighting, and work on both the market canopy and drainage system.

"This year a number of leases are up for renewal. To introduce a level playing field we are simply seeking to achieve current open market rental values for the units involved. If we cannot agree figures by negotiation, the tenants can apply for these to be fixed by the court."