30 March 2016
Stockport Green Party is calling for the council to work with traders and those who shop in the market to build a vibrant and successful marketplace rather than imposing poorly thought out ideas.
Green Party spokesperson Gordon Combe said “The council have failed to engage with traders and shoppers over many years which has led to traders leaving, shoppers moving away from the market and a decline in the marketplace.
Traders agree that there is work to be done to build a vibrant marketplace.
The Old Town project that has been built through community groups and traders coming together to bid successfully for funds to improve the area. The success of Foodie Friday, teenage market and the vintage market have shown a way forward.
The council must engage with traders and shoppers to understand what is needed to improve. Consultations need to be done in a genuine way and ideas need to be presented to allow input from all involved or who care about the marketplace. Proposals should provide a starting point and generate two way conversations. Suggestions and criticism alike must be welcomed.
The current council proposals come from an expensively commissioned report from Carillion. They look to in many ways copy the success of the Altrincham market. We would question if this is a suitable example. We are lucky to have a marketplace that has existed since at least 1260. This heritage must be recognised and built upon. Simply moving traders closer to Merseyway and converting the covered area of the Market to serving food and drink is not sufficient.
We have a great heritage, an increasingly vibrant Old Town and Traders who want the marketplace to be successful."
The council consultation at the moment runs until Friday 1st April. This can be completed online. http://www.stockport.gov.uk/…/stockport…/marketconsultation/
Unfortunately the council have not provided a way for this to be filled in paper as would match the needs of many of the market users. Traders have therefore moved ahead to create their own paper consultation that can be filled in directly from a stallholder and returned to them. This can also be found online here: https://www.docdroid.net/…/stockport-market-consultation.do…
Stockport Green Party would encourage as many people as possible to complete the consultation and visit the marketplace.
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