Whitechapel Town Centre Management

Whitechapel Road is the cultural and historical heart of Whitechapel, and home to its iconic street market. It is experiencing rapid transformation with the arrival of Crossrail, the council’s new Town Hall and other

We would like all businesses to be part of and benefit from the changes occurring. To do this we are establishing a town centre management model in partnership with local businesses and stakeholders based in the town centre.

This model supports a dedicated town centre manager to serve all businesses and employees within the town centre, by advancing their interests and working in collaboration to support the continued growth and development of the area.

Action plan

In 2023 the council carried out an engagement exercise to seek feedback from:

  • local businesses,
  • employees,
  • key stakeholders,
  • relevant residents and
  • community groups to understand their ideas and suggestions to improve the town centre.

From this, we have come up with an action plan to address the key themes raised. See the result of the engagement exercise and a summary of the action plan activities in the Key Documents section of our Let’s Talk Engagement page.

Action plan delivery

The plan is being delivered under 6 themes:

1. Safety and Security

Days of action

Specific action days that give businesses and employees the opportunity to report issues and improve the relationship with:

  • police,
  • community safety and,
  • other relevant council departments.

Uplift in uniformed presence

An increase in the presence of the council’s Community Safety Teams to patrol and tackle business specific issues.

2. Women’s safety

Educational Campaign

Information and training to businesses/employees on Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG)/ misogyny issues.

Boxfit/Self-defence classes

Physical training for businesses/ employees to support confidence building on VAWG/misogyny issues.

3. Business support and training

Business costs reduction

A support and training programme to help businesses reduce and manage their operating costs.

Marketing and social media training

A support and training programme to help businesses improve their online presence.

4. Waste management

Waste removal

A dedicated waste removal service that is additional to current council responsibilities and happens at the same time as special events.

5. Street cleaning and graffiti

Street cleaning and graffiti–ongoing maintenance

Dedicated street cleaning and graffiti with some ongoing maintenance that is additional to current Council responsibilities and coincides with special events.

6. Marketing and promotion

Marketing campaign

A dedicated marketing campaign for Whitechapel town centre including seasonal and cultural events.

Nighttime environment - extend business opening hours

 

A programme to support and encourage businesses to extend their opening hours.

Business communication channels

Dedicated forums for businesses to share information between themselves and with the council.

The boundaries

View the Whitechapel map

The boundaries are:

  • From the west on the north side of the high street, starting at 1 Whitechapel Road and going eastwards over Cambridge Heath Road and ending at 19A Mile End Road. Including all side streets and Durward Street.
  • From the west on the south side of the high street, starting at White Church Lane (8-10 White Church Lane) and going eastward on Whitechapel Road to the Sydney Street intersection, north and Sydney Street, west on Raven Row, north on Milward Street, to Walden Street, then New Road (81-133), to Fieldgate Street, Mulberry Street to White Church Lane.

Contact

This is your opportunity to shape the future of Whitechapel.

If you are a local business and you would like more information please contact the High Streets team Email: highstreets@towerhamlets.gov.uk

To speak to the Town Centre Manager for more details

Tel: 0754 231 8410