Salamanca Market to return with new look
A MAKESHIFT Salamanca Market with multiple sections to comply with strict gathering limits is on the cards after breakthrough talks between Hobart City Council and the State Government.
Stallholders are breathing a sigh of relief that the popular market could soon return, after coronavirus restrictions forced it to close more than three months ago.
A rule that capped the amount of people allowed at outdoor gatherings to 500 looked like stifling plans to relaunch the showcase.
But Hobart Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds said late on Friday negotiations with the Government had identified a viable way forward.
“Thanks to positive talks this week, it has been determined that the market can operate with multiple sections, each with its own entry and egress, and each restricted to the gathering limit of 500 people,’’ she said.
“We are now working on a plan to reopen a smaller, interim market that meets the requirements of the government restrictions, but that is also a viable proposition for stallholders.”
HCC is hopeful the market could return later this month or in the first week of August.
Council says it could announce a restart date as early as next week.
The move would allow 500 people to congregate in each section at any given time, making the proposition more viable for stallholders. The latest development is being celebrated by the Salamanca Market Stallholders Association, with more than 140 stallholders earlier having expressed interest in a scaled-down event.
“We’re really pleased that they’ve come up with this solution, because we really had no idea how we could possibly make the market viable, but this sounds like a really positive step forward to getting it reopened,’’ SMSA president Holly Farley said.
“It’s been really hard. When there’s no end in sight it doesn’t really allow you to make plans or contingencies.”
But now a likely return has been negotiated, Ms Farley called on the Tasmanian community to support the event.
The market is popular with tourists and with the state’s borders set to reopen on July 24 – pending public health advice – it is hoped the modified market will be a success.
The latest talks came after council earlier this week effectively ruled out the market running with only 500 people, a number which would have included stallholders and staff.
Council had initially hoped the market would be subject to maximum density requirements of one person per two square metres, rather than be bound by the 500-person limit.
It said that would have allowed up to 1400 people to attend, but the State Government had confirmed that the gathering limit would apply to the market — before the most recent discussions achieved a breakthrough.