Oriental City was a major shopping centre in

Colindale Colindale is a district in the London Borough of Barnet; its main shopping street on the A5 forming the borough boundary with neighbouring Brent. Colindale is a suburban area, and in recent years has had many new apartments built. It's also th ...

North London North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshire. The term ''nort ...

, England, originally built as a luxury Japanese shopping centre called Yaohan Plaza by the

Yaohan or ; ) was a Japanese retail group, founded in 1930 by and his wife . Initially a single shop, it was expanded by their son Kazuo Wada into a major supermarket chain with most retail outlets located in Shizuoka prefecture, south of Tokyo. It ...

retail company of Japan. After Yaohan filed for bankruptcy in 1997, the centre became a lower-end mall specialising in various oriental foods and items, while also containing health and social services for the East Asian community. Opening in 1993, the 141,000

sq ft The square foot (plural square feet; abbreviated sq. ft, sf, or ft2; also denoted by '2) is an imperial unit and U.S. customary unit (non- SI, non-metric) of area, used mainly in the United States and partially in Canada, the United Kingdom, Bang ...

complex was located at 399

Edgware Road Edgware Road is a major road in London, England. The route originated as part of Roman Watling Street and, unusually in London, it runs for 10 miles in an almost perfectly straight line. Forming part of the modern A5 road, Edgware Road undergoes ...

with a dedicated car park and two floors. As Yaohan Plaza, the shopping centre played a short but significant role in promoting Japanese cuisine and culture in London. Later, as Oriental City, it was referred to as London's "real

Chinatown A Chinatown () is an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Austra ...

". Oriental City received about 10,000 visitors weekly as of 2006. The complex was closed for redevelopment on 1 June 2008 and, after several changes of ownership, was demolished in August 2014. In July 2017 the smaller Bang Bang Oriental Food Hall opened on the site, comprising 32 food kiosks, massage and beauty therapy suites as well as shops and a cultural centre.

Yaohan Plaza

Background

During the rapid growth of the Japanese economy in the 1980s, many Japanese businesses established operations and partnerships in the UK.

Honda is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a product ...

formed a partnership with

British Leyland British Leyland was an automotive engineering and manufacturing conglomerate formed in the United Kingdom in 1968 as British Leyland Motor Corporation Ltd (BLMC), following the merger of Leyland Motors and British Motor Holdings. It was partl ...

in 1979 and

Nissan , trade name, trading as Nissan Motor Corporation and often shortened to Nissan, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The company sells ...

opened its first European factory in

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gai ...

in 1986. Such activities caused a significant increase in Japanese living in the UK. This renaissance of Anglo-Japanese exchange culminated in Japan Festival 1991, a four-month festival celebrated across the UK with both traditional Japanese arts such as

kabuki is a classical form of Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily-stylised performances, the often-glamorous costumes worn by performers, and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers. Kabuki is thought to ...

and

noh is a major form of classical Japanese dance-drama that has been performed since the 14th century. Developed by Kan'ami and his son Zeami, it is the oldest major theatre art that is still regularly performed today. Although the terms Noh and ' ...

as well as contemporary

Japanese rock , sometimes abbreviated to , is rock music from Japan. Influenced by American and British rock of the 1960s, the first rock bands in Japan performed what is called Group Sounds, with lyrics almost exclusively in English. Folk rock band Happy End ...

. At this time, Japanese department store

began plans to open a large shopping centre in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. Yaohan estimated that over 40,000 Japanese lived in the vicinity of the planned shopping centre, and further cited the 1991 Japan Festival as evidence of growing interest in Japan. They planned the shopping centre with the dual-aim to serve the large Japanese community and introduce Europeans to

Japanese food Japanese cuisine encompasses the regional and traditional foods of Japan, which have developed through centuries of political, economic, and social changes. The traditional cuisine of Japan ( Japanese: ) is based on rice with miso soup and othe ...

and

culture Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups.Tyl ...

. Yaohan was in the process of pursuing a plan of overseas expansion and had already established operations in

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Opening

Yaohan invested £50 million (£87 million in 2021) in the construction of a Japanese-themed department store in

with 10,134 square metres of space dedicated to retail, additional office space and parking for 800 cars. The building would combine a modern shopping centre with traditional Japanese architectural elements such as a tile roof. The interior would do the same, and featured traditional Japanese facades on many of the shops, similar to the Edo-Koji shopping area at

Tokyo International Airport , officially , and sometimes called as Tokyo Haneda Airport or Haneda International Airport , is one of two international airports serving the Greater Tokyo Area, the other one being Narita International Airport (NRT). It serves as the primary ...

. Yaohan Plaza, London opened as a high-end Japanese shopping centre on 28 August 1993 with the slogan: "All Japan under one roof."

Chindon'ya , also known as Japanese marching bands, and known historically as or are a type of elaborately-costumed street musicians in Japan who advertise for shops and other establishments. , both historically and in the present day, advertise the open ...

performers from the Chin-don Tsushinsha group were flown in from Japan to promote the opening. Yaohan Plaza featured a grand entry hall with a wooden frame supporting a large ceremonial banner and knot, covered by a traditional tile roof. The north wing was a single storey and housed the full-size Japanese

supermarket A supermarket is a self-service Retail#Types of outlets, shop offering a wide variety of food, Drink, beverages and Household goods, household products, organized into sections. This kind of store is larger and has a wider selection than earli ...

and food court. The south wing was two stories and housed shops and restaurants. At the back was a multi-storey car park. In total, Yaohan had 15 directly-owned retail operations, 47 third-party stores and 11 restaurants. The supermarket sold a wide range of Japanese foods including a full range of Japanese dry goods, freshly made

sushi is a Japanese cuisine, Japanese dish of prepared , usually with some sugar and salt, accompanied by a variety of , such as seafood, often raw, and vegetables. Styles of sushi and its presentation vary widely, but the one key ingredient is " ...

and

obento A is the Japanese iteration of a single-portion take-out or home-packed meal, often for lunch. Outside Japan, it is common in other East and Southeast Asian culinary styles, especially within Chinese, Korean, Singaporean cuisines and more, as ...

, fish, and Japanese-style meats for the purpose of dishes like

yakiniku ''Yakiniku'' (焼き肉 or 焼肉), meaning "grilled meat", is a Japanese term that, in its broadest sense, refers to grilled meat cuisine. "Yakiniku" originally referred to western "barbecue" food, the term being popularized by Japanese writer ...

and

shabu shabu ''Shabu-shabu'' ( ja, しゃぶしゃぶ, shabushabu) is a Japanese ''nabemono'' hotpot dish of thinly sliced meat and vegetables boiled in water and served with dipping sauces. The term is onomatopoeic, derived from the sound – "swish swi ...

. Fresh fruit was flown in from Japan, and a Japanese-style bakery was operated on site. Yaohan Plaza's supermarket offered over 70 varieties of

sake Sake, also spelled saké ( ; also referred to as Japanese rice wine), is an alcoholic beverage of Japanese origin made by fermenting rice that has been polished to remove the bran. Despite the name ''Japanese rice wine'', sake, and indee ...

and 40 kinds of

miso is a traditional Japanese seasoning. It is a thick paste produced by fermenting soybeans with salt and ''kōji'' (the fungus ''Aspergillus oryzae'') and sometimes rice, barley, seaweed, or other ingredients. It is used for sauces and spread ...

. Prices were considered high relative to Japan due to import costs, but 10-20 percent lower than smaller Japanese shops in central London.

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

reported in 1993 that a 1.5 litre bottle of cold Japanese tea cost £4.99 (£8.69 in 2021). Yaohan's sushi kitchen operated 24 hours a day and supplied

Waitrose Waitrose & Partners (formally Waitrose Limited) is a brand of British supermarkets, founded in 1904 as Waite, Rose & Taylor, later shortened to Waitrose. It was acquired in 1937 by employee-owned retailer John Lewis Partnership, which still se ...

Selfridges Selfridges, also known as Selfridges & Co., is a chain of high-end department stores in the United Kingdom that is operated by Selfridges Retail Limited, part of the Selfridges Group of department stores. It was founded by Harry Gordon Selfridge ...

, and

Harvey Nichols Harvey Nichols is a British luxury department store chain founded in 1831, at its flagship store in Knightsbridge, London. It sells designer fashion collections for men and women, fashion accessories, beauty products, fine wines and luxury f ...

. The shopping centre had both full-service restaurants such as a sushi bar,

izakaya An () is a type of informal Japanese bar that serves alcoholic drinks and snacks. are casual places for after-work drinking, similar to a pub, a Spanish tapas bar, or an American saloon or tavern. Etymology The word entered the English la ...

okonomiyaki is a Japanese savory pancake dish consisting of wheat flour batter and other ingredients (mixed, or as toppings) cooked on a '' teppan'' (flat griddle). Common additions include cabbage, meat, and seafood, and toppings include ''okonomiyaki' ...

restaurant ('Abeno') and

ramen is a Japanese dish, Japanese noodle dish. It consists of served in a broth; common flavors are soy sauce and miso, with typical toppings including , nori (dried seaweed), menma (bamboo shoots), and scallions. Ramen has its roots in Chinese ...

bar ('Ramen Seto'), a cafe, as well as a food court offering bento,

kushiyaki is a formal term that encompasses both poultry and non-poultry items, skewered and grilled. At times, restaurants group them as and ''yakimono'' ( 焼き物). Yakitori and kushiyaki Muroran '' yakitori'' is actually pork, not chicken Both y ...

, donburi such as unatamadon noodles and other Japanese foods. A wagashi-ya also operated at Yaohan and Minamoto Kitchoan used Yaohan Plaza to establish its formal London presence in 1996. A couple that had moved to London from the craft town of

Mino, Gifu Mino Udatsu Townscape is a city located in Gifu, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 20,749 in 8149 households, and a population density of 180 persons per km2. The total area of the city was . The city is renowned for traditional J ...

operated the shop 'Utsuwa no Yakata', which sold Japanese porcelain and tablewares. The main hall hosted fairs where additional special import products such as antiques were sometimes sold. The space also hosted car sales and displays of Japanese culture such as

kimono The is a traditional Japanese garment and the national dress of Japan. The kimono is a wrapped-front garment with square sleeves and a rectangular body, and is worn left side wrapped over right, unless the wearer is deceased. The kimono ...

. One notable feature of Yaohan was its SegaDome arcade, themed to be like a small version of

SegaWorld Sega World (Japanese: セガワールド, Hepburn: ''Segawārudo''), sometimes stylized as SegaWorld, is a formerly international chain of amusement arcades and entertainment centres created by Sega. Though not the first venues to be developed ...

. A large

Sonic the Hedgehog is a Japanese video game series and media franchise created by Sega. The franchise follows Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who battles the evil Doctor Eggman, a mad scientist. The main ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' games are platformers mo ...

graphic adorned the outside of the building. Other Japanese-focussed shops included a bookshop, Asahiya Shoten, with a large selection of

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

, a

video store A video rental shop/store is a physical retail business that rents home videos such as movies, prerecorded TV shows, video game discs and other media content. Typically, a rental shop conducts business with customers under conditions and terms a ...

, an imported toy and video game shop, a

Sanrio is a Japanese entertainment company. It designs, licenses, and produces products focusing on the ''kawaii'' ("cute") segment of Japanese popular culture. Their products include stationery, school supplies, gifts, and accessories which are sold ...

shop and an electronics retailer. Services included a

hairdresser A hairdresser is a person whose occupation is to cut or style hair in order to change or maintain a person's image. This is achieved using a combination of hair coloring, haircutting, and hair texturing techniques. A Hairdresser may also be refe ...

specialising in Asian hair, a

travel agency A travel agency is a private retailer or public service that provides travel and tourism-related services to the general public on behalf of accommodation or travel suppliers to offer different kinds of travelling packages for each destinatio ...

, an

estate agent An estate agent is a person or business that arranges the selling, renting, or management of properties and other buildings. An agent that specialises in renting is often called a letting or management agent. Estate agents are mainly engaged i ...

, a

cram school A cram school, informally called crammer and colloquially also referred to as test-prep or exam factory, is a specialized school that trains its students to achieve particular goals, most commonly to pass the entrance examinations of high schoo ...

and a

dental practice Dentistry, also known as dental medicine and oral medicine, is the branch of medicine focused on the teeth, gums, and mouth. It consists of the study, diagnosis, prevention, management, and treatment of diseases, disorders, and conditions of ...

. Additional shops in Yaohan Plaza focussed on selling British and European luxury goods to Japanese tourists.

Liberty of London Liberty, commonly known as Liberty's, is a luxury department store in London, England. It is located on Great Marlborough Street in the West End of London. The building spans from Carnaby Street on the East to Kingly Street on the West, where ...

operated one such shop. Miyuki Hazzard, Yaohan Plaza London's publicity manager reported that 70% of customers were Japanese. Yaohan negotiated with a local taxi service to provide Japanese-language service and female drivers to put shoppers at ease, many of whom were housewives. Yaohan Plaza was actively promoted in the Japanese-language edition of

British Airways British Airways (BA) is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a populati ...

's in-flight magazine. Yaohan Plaza employed 190 staff, and each were expected to participate in a morning rituals typical of a Japanese company, including singing the company song. The opening of Yaohan Plaza attracted some media attention in Britain, and several journalists described their experiences at the shopping centre. Monique Roffey of the Independent described it as a "hypermarket cum shopping mall cum cultural space-capsule".

Demise

By 1995, Yaohan had encountered problems with their business plan. A report in the Independent newspaper suggested that younger Japanese, who were a growing demographic in Britain's Japanese community, were more cosmopolitan and less likely to require a Japanese-tailored shopping experience. This younger demographic also had reduced spending power, particularly during a time of recession, and were unwilling to spend the premium for imported goods. Complaints included that expensive imported food would go on to the shelf already past its sell-by date. Thus, Yaohan began to change direction and renamed the shopping centre ''Oriental City''. The focus would gradually shift away from Japanese clientele towards Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese and Malaysian communities. Many Japanese shops and restaurants were replaced and

British Chinese British Chinese (also known as Chinese British or Chinese Britons) are people of Chineseparticularly Han Chineseancestry who reside in the United Kingdom, constituting the second-largest group of Overseas Chinese in Western Europe after France. T ...

became the largest group of customers. Furthermore, Yaohan company's heavy focus on expanding across Asia left it vulnerable to the

1997 Asian Financial Crisis The Asian financial crisis was a period of financial crisis that gripped much of East Asia and Southeast Asia beginning in July 1997 and raised fears of a worldwide economic meltdown due to financial contagion. However, the recovery in 1998–1 ...

, and the company filed for bankruptcy that year. As a result, the London shopping centre was sold in October 1997 to new Malaysian owners, furthering the move away from a Japanese focus.

Legacy

Yaohan Plaza had a significant impact on the Japanese cuisine and cultural scene in London. Individuals and businesses involved in Yaohan Plaza continued after the Plaza's demise. Yaohan's Miyuki Hazzard went on to serve as a director for the newly founded Japanese-inspired British fast-food chain

itsu Itsu is a British chain of East Asian-inspired fast food shops and restaurants and a grocery company.Moules, Jonathan"Itsu founder nurtures a new generation" '' Financial Times'', London, 21 January 2014. Retrieved on 21 January 2014. The chain ...

, which opened in 1997. The owners of the okonomiyaki shop 'Abeno' re-opened in central London and were eventually awarded a Michelin star. Many other Japanese restaurants founded at Yaohan Plaza spread across London and remain today, including Ramen Seto. The couple that ran the homewares shop eventually founded their own Japanese tableware importer 'Doki'. Minamoto Kitchoan opened a flagship location on Piccadilly in 1997 and have maintained a presence in London ever since. Yaohan Plaza may be considered ahead of its time, as demand for Japanese cuisine in the UK continued to grow in the 2000s and 2010s. By 2018, Yaohan Plaza's competitor Japan Centre had created their own large food hall in London, Ichiba, along with a chain of restaurants.

Oriental City

Oriental City saw some of the more expensive to maintain Japanese architectural elements were removed or neglected. The grand entrance to the main hall was removed and replaced by two

Chinese guardian lions Chinese guardian lions, or imperial guardian lions, are a traditional Chinese architectural ornament, but the origins lie deep in much older Indian Buddhist traditions. Typically made of stone, they are also known as stone lions or shishi () ...

. The Japanese garden was no longer maintained. Elements of the exterior which were previously painted in a natural wood tone were repainted yellow. Many Japanese elements were also stripped from the interior, however most stalls in the food court maintained their distinctly Japanese facades despite serving other cuisines. After the centre was bought by Malaysian owners, it contained a large oriental supermarket, now relocated to

Bayswater Bayswater is an area within the City of Westminster in West London. It is a built-up district with a population density of 17,500 per square kilometre, and is located between Kensington Gardens to the south, Paddington to the north-east, and ...

, and a food court with a range of foods from different areas of

South-East Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainland ...

; stalls offered

Malaysian Malaysian may refer to: * Something from or related to Malaysia, a country in Southeast Asia * Malaysian Malay, a dialect of Malay language spoken mainly in Malaysia * Malaysian people, people who are identified with the country of Malaysia regard ...

Thai Thai or THAI may refer to: * Of or from Thailand, a country in Southeast Asia ** Thai people, the dominant ethnic group of Thailand ** Thai language, a Tai-Kadai language spoken mainly in and around Thailand *** Thai script *** Thai (Unicode block ...

Vietnamese Vietnamese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia ** A citizen of Vietnam. See Demographics of Vietnam. * Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam ** Overse ...

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...

and

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

foods including

bento A is the Japanese cuisine, Japanese iteration of a single-portion take-out or home-packed meal, often for lunch. Outside Japan, it is common in other East and Southeast Asian culinary styles, especially within Chinese cuisine, Chinese, Korean c ...

boxes and

noodles, and assorted Asian desserts. The food court was immensely popular with surrounding office workers and the North London community; and often became very crowded at weekends. The food court was complemented by a number of oriental restaurants in the complex, with the majority of them located on the upper floor. The complex contained two

Dim Sum Dim sum () is a large range of small Chinese dishes that are traditionally enjoyed in restaurants for brunch. Most modern dim sum dishes are commonly associated with Cantonese cuisine, although dim sum dishes also exist in other Chinese cuis ...

restaurants, a Szechuan restaurant, and an 'all you can eat' restaurant. Outside, there was a

durian The durian (, ) is the edible fruit of several tree species belonging to the genus ''Durio''. There are 30 recognised ''Durio'' species, at least nine of which produce edible fruit. ''Durio zibethinus'', native to Borneo and Sumatra, is the onl ...

stall and a satay stall. Aside from the food outlets, the complex also contained a number of small shops and stalls. Over its history there was a high turnover of shops, with only one remaining original tenant in the facility, the Japanese tableware store, Utsuwa-No-Yataka. Most original tenants had left by 2003. In the period shortly before the centre closed down, shoppers could find a tailor's shop, a jeweller, a hairdresser, a beauty shop, Chinese medicine shops, a martial arts store, a large furniture store, and visit the Sega Park arcade. The centre was a focal point for the Oriental community, often hosting weeks which promoted the cultural identity of different South East Asian countries. These events typically consisted of various performing arts, and the promotion of that country's particular cuisine.

Proposed redevelopment and closure

In November 2006, Oriental City was bought out by the developer Development Securities who planned to demolish the centre and replace it with a B&Q, a housing development and a primary school. This private business transaction was beset by delays from store owners, the East Asian community, petitions, and even interference by the Chinese Consul-General and an ex-

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

football player. The developer was not able to close the complex until 2008, by which time the

Great Recession The Great Recession was a period of marked general decline, i.e. a recession, observed in national economies globally that occurred from late 2007 into 2009. The scale and timing of the recession varied from country to country (see map). At ...

had soured their ability to proceed with the redevelopment. In 2006, the developers stated that there would be provisions for the current tenants of Oriental City to continue in the new development; however, the tenants objected to this, owing to the lack of consultation. Tenants stated that the new complex would take up to 9 years to complete, contrary to Development Securities' claim that redevelopment would take 3 years. Most tenants did not believe they could survive even a temporary relocation of their businesses. Aside from business considerations, the East Asian community feared any redevelopment would mean the loss of an important community focal point. The tenants shut their businesses for a day to protest to the council at

Brent Town Hall Brent Town Hall, formerly Wembley Town Hall, is a landmark building in Wembley Park in the London Borough of Brent, northwest London, England. The building is T-shaped, with a long façade on Forty Lane. The building was the seat of Brent London ...

on 21 November 2006 feeling that they had been treated like 'second class citizens'. The tenants' plight was backed by a long-time visitor of the Centre, ex-

football player

Ian Wright Ian Edward Wright (born 3 November 1963) is an English television and radio personality and former professional footballer. He works as a pundit for BBC Sport and ITV Sport. Wright enjoyed success with London clubs Crystal Palace and Arsenal ...

, who met the then London Mayor

Ken Livingstone Kenneth Robert Livingstone (born 17 June 1945) is an English politician who served as the Leader of the Greater London Council (GLC) from 1981 until the council was abolished in 1986, and as Mayor of London from the creation of the office i ...

's planning officials in early December 2006 to object to the redevelopment plans. In February 2007, the Chinese Consul-General wrote to London's mayor to express his "deep concern" about the project, calling for the proposal to be modified. Following a petition, it was announced that Oriental City would remain open until at least May 2008. The centre closed permanently at 7:00 pm on Sunday 1 June 2008, with thousands of people flocking to see Oriental City for the last time on its final day. On 31 July 2008 Development Securities sold the site to a new developer, B & S Homes, for £68 million. The purchasers paid a £16 million deposit but were unable to find the £52 million required to complete their purchase. Their deposit was lost, the building went back into the hands of Development Securities, and further progress in the prevailing economic climate looked unlikely. As a result, the building remained boarded up and derelict. From early 2009, there was much talk amongst former tenants of a proposal to reopen the doors of Oriental City in its previous form later that year. Discussions were understood to be taking place between the owners and former tenants. In February 2010, former tenants of Oriental City held a protest at the site over the continued closure of the centre. A campaign to re-open the centre was initiated, and it was reported that

Morrisons Wm Morrison Supermarkets, trading as Morrisons, is the fifth largest supermarket chain in the United Kingdom. As of 2021, the company had 497 supermarkets across England, Wales and Scotland, as well as one in Gibraltar. The company is headqua ...

was interested in developing the site. In May 2013, planning permission was granted for a full redevelopment of the site by Development Securities with Morrisons as an anchor tenant. In August 2014 the Oriental City building was demolished, and a new development including flats and a Morrisons Superstore was built on the location, the store opening in March 2016. Brent Council reserved the remaining part of the retail site for "Far Eastern and Oriental uses" only, incorporating 30,000 sq ft of restaurant space. This was later allocated to the Bang Bang Oriental Food Hall.

In TV and film

The centre was used as an abandoned mall in the

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...

series ''

Luther Luther may refer to: People * Martin Luther (1483–1546), German monk credited with initiating the Protestant Reformation * Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968), American minister and leader in the American civil rights movement * Luther (give ...

''. It appeared in the 2012 film ''

Dredd ''Dredd'' is a 2012 science fiction film, science fiction action film directed by Pete Travis and written and produced by Alex Garland. It is based on the ''2000 AD (comics), 2000 AD'' comic strip ''Judge Dredd'' and its eponymous character ...

'', where it was restored to a semblance of its former glory with a

Blade Runner ''Blade Runner'' is a 1982 science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott, and written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples. Starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, and Edward James Olmos, it is an adaptation of Philip K. Dick' ...

-like makeover. It was used in the first episode of the 2011

BBC Three BBC Three is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes targeting 16 to 34-year-olds, covering all genres including animation, comedy, curre ...

series ''

The Fades The Fades are an English indie rock band from London, England, comprising Dave Lightfoot on guitar and vocals, James Lightfoot on bass, Jonathan "Jonny" Barnard on guitar and Alastair "Flash" Thorpe on drums. History The Fades were formed 2 ...

''. Oriental City was the single location used for the 2012 TV film of a

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and produces around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, St ...

production of ''

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, and ...

'', directed by

Gregory Doran Gregory Doran (born 24 November 1958) is an English director known for his Shakespearean work. ''The Sunday Times'' called him 'one of the great Shakespearians of his generation'. Doran was artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RS ...

. The complex appeared in 2013 during a first season episode of the

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...

series ''

Charlie Brooker's Weekly Wipe ''Charlie Brooker's Weekly Wipe'' is a British television review programme created and presented by Charlie Brooker. It is the most recent addition to Brooker's ''Wipe'' series, and the first to be broadcast in HD. The programme is an amalgam o ...

'', with Brooker wandering around various parts of the derelict car park, Zen Tian Di Chinese buffet and a set of escalators. The centre was also used for the music video

Bittersweet Memories "Bittersweet Memories" is a power ballad by the Welsh heavy metal band Bullet for My Valentine. It is the third single from the band's third studio album, ''Fever''. The music video for "Bittersweet Memories" was released on 25 November 2010 ...

by Welsh metalcore band Bullet For My Valentine.

References

External links

Video of Oriental City Food Court taken 25.05.08

Flickr group for photos and videos of Oriental City

Route79's Flickr pictures of Oriental City

"Anger over continued closure of 'real Chinatown'" BBC article, February 2010

"End of the road for 'real Chinatown'?", BBC article

London Randomness Guide to Oriental City

Campaign & petition to re-open Oriental City
* https://web.archive.org/web/20110216090458/http://www.yell.com/reviews/oriental+city+supermarket-1g16x8a-r {{Shopping centres in London Shopping centres in the London Borough of Brent Former buildings and structures in the London Borough of Brent Demolished buildings and structures in London Buildings and structures demolished in 2014 Defunct shopping malls Asian diaspora in the United Kingdom

Yaohan Plaza

Background

Opening

Demise

Legacy

Oriental City

Proposed redevelopment and closure

In TV and film

See also

References

External links