Uncertainty Under The Arches: Network Rail's Commercial Property Sell-Off And The Crisis Of Affordable Workspace In London

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In September 2018, Network Rail agreed to sell 200 railwayarches as a single commercial portfolio to investment groupsTelereal Trillium and Blackstone Property Partners for£1.45bn. The sale represents the latest in a long line ofpublic asset sell-offs in the UK through which rents areshifted from the public to the private realm. While the detailsof the sale are still being negotiated, there are graveconcerns about the future of thousands of archwayenterprises across the country. The potential impacts areparticularly acute in East London, where small businesseshave revitalised the local rail infrastructure while contendingwith rent increases of up to 300%. However, the sale alsorepresents a rare opportunity for organisation amongbusinesses sharing a common landlord. Local businessesorganised through the East End Trades Guild haveresponded by developing an Affordable WorkspaceManifesto, culminating in a campaign for London WorkingRent. This campaign raises critical questions about thecapacities for collective organisation among diverse smallbusinesses, and the possibilities for applying principlesderived from the movements of employees and residentialtenants - such as Living Wage and Living Rent - to thecommercial rental sector.This project proposes a collaboration between the East EndTrades Guild (EETG), the New Economic Foundation (NEF)and the School of Geography at QMUL in order to generatemuch-needed evidence on the impacts of the National Railsell-off in East London and the possibilities for collectiveorganisation and intervention. This research will advancetheoretical understandings of socio-economic value and,specifically, inform emerging policy debates on affordableworkspaces in the context of the ongoing transfer of rentsfrom the public to the private sphere. In terms of itscontribution to social science, the research will advanceemerging debates on the connections between socialentrepreneurship and public life, bringing together researchprogrammes on livelihoods and diverse economies (Monteith& Giesbert 2017; Monteith & Camfield forthcoming) andurban sociality and collective culture (Koch 2016; Koch &Latham 2012; 2013). Furthermore, by addressing questionsabout the possibilities for collective action and organisation,the project will build upon the School of Geography'sreputation for conducting research on local issues in EastLondon in ways that direct national campaigns, such as theLiving Wage campaign (Wills 2008; Wills and Linneker 2014).