A campaign has been launched to save Boxpark Shoreditch from closure when its lease expires at the end of this summer. Hailed as “the world’s first pop-up mall” when it launched in 2011, the venue pioneered the use of shipping containers as instant mini restaurants and brought new confidence and energy to the capital’s street-food scene.

Campaigners are calling on Hackney Council and even the new Labour government to step in, saying it would be a “glaring oversight, undermining the community’s trust and eroding the vibrant cultural landscape that defines east London” if they failed to protect a site which has played a big part in the regeneration of Shoreditch – providing a platform for more than 250 businesses, creating more than 1,000 jobs, generating nearly £100m in economic value and attracting more than ten million visitors to the area.

Boxpark founder Roger Wade said: “Despite our relentless efforts in collaboration with the Greater London Authority, Hackney Council and our landlords, we must close due to a planning requirement. Unfortunately, the developers will not start building immediately, which makes this decision even more disheartening.”

Night Time Industries Association chief executive Michael Kill added: “Public sentiment is clear – Boxpark Shoreditch must be preserved. The community is prepared to rally, protest, and escalate this issue to national attention if necessary. This is not a mere appeal; it is a demand for action. The new government’s commitments to planning regime changes must be leveraged to find a solution that ensures the survival of this indispensable venue.”

Landlords Bishopsgate Goodsyard plan to redevelop the site to provide homes, office space and a park.

Meanwhile, Boxpark is to open Boxhall in Liverpool Street and relaunch Camden’s Buck Street Market in the coming months. The Shoreditch original was followed by Boxparks in Croydon, Wembley and Liverpool, with Birmingham due to open next year.