Many Greenwich businesses are preparing for a drop of up to 50% in sales this winter following the temporary closure of the Royal Observatory.
Local traders warned that with winter being typically slow sales-wise, the loss of one of the area’s biggest tourist attractions could have a significant impact on the economy.
The Royal Observatory will be temporarily closed from November 2 until the summer for major renovation works costing about £77million, following two years of public consultation.
A restaurant manager inside Greenwich Park, who wanted to remain anonymous, said: “50% of the visitors who go to the Royal Observatory visit us. So it will affect us a lot, we are going to have a hard winter as 50% of our sales would be hurt, especially at the kiosk.”
The kiosk is a small cafe, which is part of the restaurant, located 800m away.
“The Observatory brings us a lot of tourists,” she added.
“It is always quiet down in the winter (sales-wise) but if it was open, it would have helped us a lot. But now it will be difficult.”
She added that she expects footfall in Greenwich Park and the wider Greenwich area to decrease, as the closure of a major landmark is likely to deter visitors.
“It (Greenwich Park) is one of The Royal Parks but it is not one of the main parks,” she said.
“People come to Greenwich mostly for the Prime Meridian and the Observatory.”
To help the local businesses during the busy times ahead in the winter, the manager suggested there should be more events organised in the park to help bring people to it.
The redevelopment project, titled First Light, began in 2025 with the closure of the Observatory’s Peter Harrison Planetarium in September.
However, the Prime Meridian line, Meridian Observatory and Flamsteed House galleries have remained open.
This is now set to change, with the entire Observatory due to close as the £77 million redevelopment work progresses. Part of the Observatory is expected to reopen in summer 2027.
Bhawana Parajuli, manager at the Greenwich Tavern, said the pub has been in the area for 12 years and that almost half of its visitors also visit the Observatory.
“A quarter to half of our sales could be affected, as more than 40% of our footfall comes from visitors to the Observatory,” she said.
She concurred with the restaurant manager with the winters being quiet.
“We used to get customers because of the Observatory,” she added.
She also expressed concerns about the lack of support from the local council and called for more regular meetings between the council and local businesses.
“I would like to see the council have more meetings with local businesses,” she added.
“In the last two years, there have hardly been two or three meetings.”
“I also think they should do more promotion of Cutty Sark, the Park and everything else in Greenwich to drive tourists.”
Before the Observatory fully closes in November, there will be a few shorter closures, particularly affecting its early evening opening hours.
M Isaac, manager of jewellery shop Autumn and May in Greenwich Market, said many visitors pass through the market on their way to the Observatory.
“So if it is closed, many people might not come through the market and, as a result, may not visit our shop, ultimately affecting our sales. We could see 10 to 20% of our sales affected,” he said.
He added that around 30% of the shop’s footfall comes from visitors to the Observatory.
“We will definitely lose many tourists. Local people know about the market, but tourists don’t necessarily know about it,” he said.
A spokesperson for the Royal Observatory Greenwich said the Prime Meridian is expected to reopen in summer 2027, while the entire Observatory is due to reopen in 2028.
South East London Chamber of Commerce and Department for Business and Trade had not responded to requests for comment by the time of publication.
Featured Image credit: Swarali Bodas
Join the discussion