Market now ‘in breach of its consent permits’
Residents living near Riccarton House and Bush have come out in support of its popular farmer’s market slashing its opening hours, saying while they love it, it has morphed into “outdoor eatery”.
It comes as the market seeks approval from the council to continue running until 1pm on Saturdays with the current number of stalls, after telling stallholders they would soon have to close at noon.
Riccarton Bush-Kilmarnock Residents' Association chairperson Tony Simons said the market had become “too big” and grown beyond its original purpose of being a bespoke farmers’ market for hundreds, rather than thousands, of people.
A complaint about the market breaching its resource consent, lodged days after The Press first reported on the issue, is being reviewed by the Christchurch City Council.
The current consent permits trading hours between 9am and noon and limits the number of stalls to 30. However, more than 45 stalls are listed on the market’s website and it had opened until 1pm for several years before this month announcing its hours would be cut back to noon – a move that shocked and frustrated stallholders.
Simons said the market was “a great service” that he enjoyed, but the association was concerned that the 2000 to 3000 visitors each Saturday caused “significant” damage to the grounds. “Not to mention the cost to nearby residents putting up with hundreds of cars parked in the area and litter and food debris overflowing from bins and onto the streets.
Tony disputed the idea the market was being asked to cut its operating hours:
“They’re not reducing hours, they’re just conforming with the resource consent,” he said. “They’ve been exceeding their hours for quite some time and residents would be happy for them to revert back to what the resource consent allows them to do.”
Market owner and manager Sam Marchant said he’d taken responsibility for the “evolved” morning market that was now a popular lunch spot operating beyond its permitted hours.
The market had “a great loyal customer base and stallholders” that he was proud of, but growth had applied “pressure to operate sustainably on Heritage 1 listed grounds”, with neighbours, and grounds management in mind.
“The market is currently in application for an updated resource consent to operate until 1pm and increase in stallholders to the current level ... the consent application is still in process,” he said. “... I am working through with the CCC [Christchurch City Council] planners to finish all the necessary information required for the updated consent.”
An expanded market resource consent was applied for in 2021, but had not progressed because the requested neighbour approvals were not provided, council head of planning and consents John Higgins said. He confirmed the council’s compliance staff were reviewing a complaint received on February 26 about the market operating beyond its consent. Possible action could range from education and warnings through to infringement notices, abatement notices and prosecution, he said.
It came as a surprise to the dozens of stallholders that their hours of operation would be reduced from the start of March, reducing their trading time by 25% with stall fees remaining almost the same.
A meeting was held between Marchant and stallholder representatives after last Saturday’s market to discuss its future.
Riccarton House and Bush manager Shona Willis said the trust had no comment to make at this stage.