Western International market traders excluded from the new site have launched a campaign against the decision of their landlord, the London Borough of Hounslow.
The Western International Campaign Group said its aim is to make sure that all traders and users of the market are treated fairly.
Committee member Kanti Patel told the Journal: "Everybody knew that Hounslow was planning a major project for the market but we were shocked by the decision to build a market which will exclude so many of the current traders. The decision by Hounslow to take away the livelihood of so many traders, some of whom have been on the market for more than 20 years came as a bolt of out of the blue."
Borough property manager Graham Smith responded: "From the beginning we have worked closely with the tenants' association, which has agreed the criteria for relocation-use, financial standing and rent payment record and the relocation decisions were made over a two year period in close conjunction with them.
“Tenants were informed in writing in 2000 as to the criteria and have been reminded at regular intervals through EGMs, surgeries and individual meetings. The criteria have been confirmed as being fair and reasonable by the Hounslow Race Equality Council."
Patel confirmed that the Group supports the Council's wish to provide a high quality market, but reiterated its aim to ensure that customers, employees and traders are treated fairly. "The fairest means of selection, of last in first out has been by-passed in favour of a more subjective procedure.
"A smaller market will reduce choice and competition and increases prices. This will favour those traders who get a stand in a new market in the short term but lead to a reduction of customers in the long term when customers start looking for cheaper suppliers elsewhere.
“The Group believes that this is a short-term fix by the Council and that the market will suffer in the long-run. As customers vote with their feet and go elsewhere businesses will close and rents will have to rise," said Patel.
"In an ideal world we would rehouse everyone but there is neither sufficient land nor finance available to be able to do that," Smith said, adding that the action against exclusion was fairly predictable. "We always recognised that excluded tenants were likely to take action in this way.
"There are now three main hurdles in the Development Agreement to overcome. Firstly the archaeological, ground contamination and soil stability investigations have to be successfully carried out within three months of signing the Development Agreement, then within six months of signing the Development Agreement we also have to have the pre-lets in place. The third hurdle relates to planning and we need an acceptable planning consent in place ñ we are optimistic that the application will be submitted in the Autumn."
