FIGHTING ON

Stallholders battle to save market

Traders say they are fighting for the “heart and soul of the city centre” as hundreds of people sign their petition to save Canterbury market.

The attraction has been put at risk of closure by the city council’s plans to transform the high street into a leafy boulevard. The £630,000 scheme aims to turn “tired” St George’s Street - with its “unattractive shop frontages” and uneven pavement - into an open walkway with an avenue of trees, new seating, lighting, a fountain, and space for art and performance. But a casualty of the revamp will be the market - where up to 40 stallholders would permanently lose their pitches.

In a report to the council’s policy and resources committee, officers said the market is deterring businesses from moving into Whitefriars shopping centre.

But its closure would put the livelihood of stallholders at risk, said worried vendors when the committee met last Thursday. Father-of-two Jeb Hughes, who has run a fruit and vegetable stall in Canterbury for 16 years, said: “I have staff to pay for and I have to provide for my family. I am now very, very concerned.” While Mr Hughes agrees the street should be “smartened up”, he feels the council should focus upon antisocial behaviour. “We need police, not people putting up trees,” he said. “We are there for the community of Canterbury, and we have served it for a very long time. Street trading has been in Canterbury for hundreds of years. The market is the heart and soul of Canterbury city centre.

“I would like to know why this council thinks making a large number of people jobless, a good few people potentially homeless, and a massive hole in the middle of Canterbury a good idea.” Steven Bamber, chair of Canterbury Market Traders Association, added: “It has caused a lot of anxiety and stress to all traders. Most are family run businesses - meaning two to three people could be made redundant just from one business.” Caroline Hicks, head of business and regeneration at the city council, said the plans aim to “create a dynamic place people enjoy using in a positive way”. “We’ve got a very run-down streetscape,” she said. “St George’s Street is one of the highest footfall areas of the city - but two days a week it is, at the moment, used solely as a market. And the rest of the time, in its current state, is not the most welcoming of places.”

The petition has now received almost 2,000 signatures. The council has launched an eight-week public consultation, available at bit.ly/2taopew.

A petition has been launched to save the market in Canterbury city centre

How St George’s Street would look