Buy Back Brixton
Taking back our community space
Who we Are: Brixton Traders Community Association & The Advocacy Academy
What’s the problem? The Advocacy Academy (TAA) has been with the Brixton Traders Community Association to bring Brixton Village and Brixton Market Row into community ownership.
There is a strong concern that private ownership would lead to further rent increases, trader displacement and the erosion of community control over one of south London’s most significant cultural and economic assets.
Until recently, the campaign was operating on a 5 – 6 month timeline to develop strategy, secure partnerships, and raise an initial £10m toward a total acquisition value of £65m. The emergence of competing private equity bidders has accelerated the process significantly. We now have until 22 June to submit a credible offer.
Local traders actively create the wealth that is then taken out of the community by private interests, and yet are told time and time again that their needs don’t matter and that they are replaceable by other businesses/chains who can compete with rising rents, despite being the ones to build this space into what it is.
How are we solving it?
Together, the Brixton Traders Association and The Advocacy Academy want to build a more just future, where the market is run democratically and works for the benefit of the traders and the community that they serve. We envision a market where local health centres exist next to emerging restaurants, next to youth spaces, to create a genuinely accessible third space which puts people, not profit at its heart.
We haven’t had the time to dream the structures we want into reality yet, because the world as it is has not allowed us to. We thought we would have a year to design a future vision for ownership and governance of the market. But we have been told we now have six days, instead of six months. So now, we need to buy time, to build the future we believe is possible.
We need to raise £15M to get our foot in the door, and keep ourselves in the running.
How can I help?
Public action: Friday 19th June
And Join our WhatsApp community
