A group of independent businesses who trade at a popular shopping spot next to the River Thames have been told they must move out in one year’s time so the site can be cleared for demolition.
Gabriel’s Wharf has existed at the heart of London’s South Bank for almost 40 years and is a much-loved retail destination where a cluster of small shops including art galleries and food artisans are enjoyed by both locals and tourists alike.
However this time next year, the area is set to be flattened because Coin Street, the social enterprise responsible for redeveloping the area in the early 1980s, wants to regenerate the site into a new “meanwhile use” – effectively meaning new occupants will be put there in the short-term until future plans for a nursing home come to fruition, reportedly in 15 years’ time.
The current businesses recently signed a one-year lease and must cease trading by September 27, 2026 and must clear out their units the following month for demolition, but argue their presence is the ‘meanwhile use’ the site needs while it’s awaiting redevelopment.
Businesses are potentially preparing for their last Christmas at Gabriel’s Wharf as they haven’t been guaranteed a place in the future plans.
Liz Mathews, who owns Potters’ Yard, a pottery and lettering arts studio with her partner, Frances Bingham, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “We’re feeling a bit devastated at the moment because of this being our last Christmas.
“We’ve asked for just an extension of those three months until the end of 2026 so that we can have two more Christmases [here] – they took a while to think about it and categorically refused.”
She added: “[Coin Street] keep on talking about the money but on the other hand they haven’t put the rent up for us and they haven’t discussed any other possible revenue sources.
“We feel very much that we’re not getting all of the information and that they’ve made a lot of decisions without any consultation, especially not with tenants but also not with local people.”
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A spokesperson for Coin Street said Gabriel’s Wharf was always intended to be temporary, and many of the units are reaching the end of their life, which means the site must close to allow for their temporary replacement.
The spokesperson said while nothing has been decided for the new meanwhile use, they could not confirm whether it would be “suitable” for the current businesses and have advised them to find alternative sites.
Businesses have raised concerns over the plans, arguing most of the units are in good condition and do not need to be bulldozed. They said a survey was carried out on all of the units in 2024, which concluded they had between five and 10 years left before they would need to be knocked down.
Janice Bocquillon, whose hat-making business Heads Rule Hearts has been in the area for over 20 years, said: “It’s a lovely place to work, but we were under the impression that [we would have] 5 years so I suppose that’s why we’re all a bit shocked by it.
“It seems like they want us out so they can do whatever they want. Even if we can’t stay, could they do an extension or offer us something else, something temporary?”
Businesses are also worried they won’t be able to afford to trade elsewhere in London, due to currently paying cheaper rents to Coin Street, which is not-for-profit.
Mariatu Turay-Akar, who runs Travelling Artisan Popup (TAP), a collective for female artists, said: “I suspect that a lot of us won’t be able to continue in a space, definitely not in London, because the rents are ridiculous.
“A place like this where it started with a heart for independent small businesses is much needed, there’s no one really championing this. So it’s like, what happens to people like us? It’s very challenging because finding a spot like this, there’s nothing like this for miles around.”
Lisette Davis, who owns Gabu Chocolatier, a handmade speciality chocolate shop at Gabriel’s Wharf, added: “Businesses like [this] struggle to exist in big corporate spaces, as I’m beginning to learn when looking at new leases and what they entail.
What’s so magical about this space is that they allow small ideas from individual people to exist because I think everyone here is individual and they put their work into their art.”
She added: “This little place reminds me of some of the places in France or Switzerland, where you can go into the shops and there might be a row of a thousand chocolate shops but they’re all so different. They might all be doing the same thing but they’re all doing the same thing differently – I feel like that’s what Gabriel’s Wharf is.”
Joanne Plumb, whose popular knitwear shop has been at Gabriel’s Wharf for over two decades and has customers from as far as Bel Air in Los Angeles, agrees with Lisette.
Joanne said: “We’re blessed to be here, we are in one of the most beautiful places in London and maybe [Coin Street] know that, maybe that’s what it is. It’s like a little gem, a hidden gem, there’s things you can’t find anywhere else. People walk into the Wharf and they feel like they’re someone else, they feel there’s a sort of atmosphere here, there’s a beautiful zen here. It’s like you’re on holiday but in fact you’re in the city.”
Businesses have launched a change.org petition to keep Gabriel’s Wharf as it is and save it from demolition and redevelopment. At the time of writing (November 4), the petition had amassed 521 signatures.
Harry, who owns Hartex, a shop specialising in vintage sportswear and alternative London souvenirs, said: “If I don’t have this place, then I’m never running a shop again. The high street is finished. It’s really hard, I think what’s sad place about this place going is that for a lot of businesses, where do we go?”
Harry added: “Gabriel’s Wharf is a great example of what London and what diversity can be, I think it’s a really good harmony of people from different walks of life. It’s super, super diverse, it’s one of the most perfect representations of London.”
When the LDRS approached Coin Street for comment, they said: “The aim of regenerating Gabriel’s Wharf is to continue its meanwhile use as a vibrant mixed-use public space for residents, workers and visitors to enjoy.
“We are looking at a new meanwhile use for the site that will allow Gabriel’s Wharf to continue to operate for a further 10 to 15 years. We don’t know what the new use will be yet, but we will carry out a public consultation during the planning process.”
They added: “The tenants at Gabriel’s Wharf are valued members of the Coin Street community and we took the decision to keep the Wharf open until September 2026 to give tenants and the Wharf a successful final year in its current form.
“Coin Street is a not-for-profit social enterprise. The money generated by our commercial spaces goes towards running our homes, parks, nursery, family support services and youth and community programmes such as stay and play, youth club, tutoring, over 50s art group, coffee mornings, gentle gardening and community singing.”
