Businesses on Peckham Rye have said that their trades have been devastated by the closure of the road as the council makes repairs to a ‘potentially dangerous’ former cinema
A high street in South London had its residents whisked out of their homes, and the road cordoned off by police officers over fears that a nearby tower over 100 years old could collapse without warning.
Emergency works are now well underway on the old cinema tower in Peckham Rye, but for businesses affected by the road’s 10-day closure, the future remains bleak. Their stock has rotted, customers have been kept away for days, and while the tower hasn’t thankfully collapsed, locals fear the damage has already been done.
The street is due to reopen again on Saturday after closing last Thursday (September 3), but some of the street’s shopkeepers told MyLondon they don’t expect to recover from for months. They’ve also challenged the council, which gave no prior notice before closing the road, despite claims that large cracks had been visible on the cinema tower for months.
“My business has been killed”, says Ahmad Zada, owner of Rye Afro Caribbean Foods, “All of my fish have expired, all my planting, chillis, lemons, bananas, it’s all lost. I’m losing thousands just in meat, I’ve lost about £5,000 to £6,000.
“They reopen [the street] on Saturday, but bringing the business back to the same level is going to take some time. We had no notice; if we had notice, then we could have come up with a plan.
“The cracks were there for at least six months before I walked through there every day. I saw the night the police and the fire brigade came; it’s not from now. We have barely any customers now.
“Today [Southwark Council] sent me a letter for my business rates, and they have gone up. To be honest, it seems that we are being collapsed down for bars. If business continues like this, then we will shut down, and I will lose 14 years of my hard work.”
Southwark Council says its dispatched officers to offer support to local businesses affected, but while some owners have been told they may be entitled to compensation from insurers, others claim the shortfall will fall on their profits, with a long recovery ahead.
Akbar Khan, owner of Khan’s Bargains for 27 years, said: “It was an emergency incident. I think someone must have spotted the cracks and that the ceiling was going to fall down; those cracks have been there for years.
“It’ll open on Saturday, but when the road closes, we will lose a lot of customers as they will go another way around. The council promised us that they will liaise with the insurers and they will compensate those affected.
“It’s not just the businesses, it’s the residents as well. All of the businesses have been affected, and the council said they will try to promote us. In these cases, it will take some time to come back to normal; it will take time, but it will come back.”
Another business told MyLondon that it had lost over £ 3,000 during the week of closure. Qiamuddimu, a worker at Khan’s mobile, said it was the worst he has seen in business on Rye Lane.
Abhinav Saxena, owner of Rye Lane Bagels, said: “For my shop, if I compare my sales for the past two years, it’s about 40 per cent less on this side of the street.
“You usually get people going to the station, but we are not getting that. My promotion is through word of mouth, and I am blessed that I still have customers coming in, but I see the other shops next to me really struggling.
“For me, particularly locals know the shop, and that is why I’m surviving, but if I don’t cover my suppliers, then I will go out of business.
“I don’t really see any support from the council, and that building is owned by the council; they should have been looking after it before. They say that if they don’t pay, they won’t extend credit, and we won’t be able to open. I have to sell everything to be able to buy more. My stock is here, if i don’t sell that stock, I won’t be able to pay.”
The council have said that they aim to reopen the road on Saturday, September 12, but this depends on “emergency stabilisation work going on” without delays or problems.
Councillor James McAsh, Leader of Southwark Council, said: “I want to update you on the closure of Rye Lane following safety concerns at the former cinema site.
“I know this is causing disruption for residents, businesses, and visitors. Thank you for your patience while we carry out work to make the site safe. We are working with structural engineers, Building Control, Highways, Transport for London (TfL) and specialist teams. Crews have been working around the clock to put up scaffolding around the building.
“We aim to reopen the road on Saturday morning (12 September), subject to the work being completed without any problems. Residents who have had to leave their homes have been put in hotels and given support. We are working with landlords to ensure they get the help they need.
“Council officers are speaking with business owners and working to manage access, deliveries, and other practical issues safely. TfL is updating journey information, and diversion routes are in place. Please follow signage and do not enter the exclusion zone or go around safety barriers.
“Our focus remains on keeping people safe. For updates, sign up to our WhatsApp channel or visit the council’s website and social media channels. Thank you again for your understanding.”
