Councillors to rethink market revival (From Daily Echo)
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Councillors to rethink market revival
12:30pm Friday 9th November 2012 in News
Councillors to rethink market revival
TOTTON councillors are going back to the drawing board in a last-ditch attempt to save the town’s weekly market.
The long-established Wednesday market, held in a car park off Salisbury Road, closed following a sharp drop in the number of stallholders and
customers.
It was replaced by a similar attraction in a nearby service road, but that too folded through lack of support.
Members of the town council are meeting later this month to discuss ways of reviving the market. Ideas include holding it on a Saturday and staging it in the shopping precinct.
The issue was raised at a meeting of the planning committee.
Councillor David Harrison said: “I can understand council officers saying they’ve tried many things and they haven’t been successful but the market is an important addition to the town. Most people would like to see it return.
“One day we could have a super market that everyone enjoys because we have tried a lot of different things along the way.”
Councillor Ron Scrivens added: “It’s been a great disappointment to me to see the decline of the market. We should go back to the drawing board.”
The issue will be debated by the policy and resources committee on November 21.
Comments(5)
Ellwood
says...
2:44pm Fri 9 Nov 12
There are enough permanent retail outlets churning out mass produced garbage..... why not break with tradition and operate a market that has a draw factor.......by offering affordable QUALITY PRODUCE & GOODS!
eurogordi
says...
2:55pm Fri 9 Nov 12
wendy45
says...
8:04pm Fri 9 Nov 12
Ellwood
says...
10:59pm Fri 9 Nov 12
wendy45 wrote:............ good to hear that you aren't one those retailers offering tat for sale Wendy. The simple fact is that any household can only have a need for just so many multi-packs of disposable lighters...tacky mobile phone covers and fake imitation leather wallets and purses.
as a small independent retailer in totton precinct i say good luck to a market being held there, we are to close next year as we get no support from the residence of totton, i dont sell tat but i still get no trade, as for the ones selling tat they seem to be doing very well !!! perhaps this is all totton wants !!!
BTW I happen to believe that Totton deserves better!
eurogordi says...
2:40pm Fri 9 Nov 12
Totton Market used to be good 20 years ago, but as the smaller shops closed the market also lost trade to that one stop shop known as Asda.
I have nothing against Asda, but we need a balance of large and small shops if a market is going to survive alongside.
Apart from the 99p, the precinct doesn't really offer much these days and relocating the market there doesn't seem particularly viable.
I am happy to be proved wrong, but with popular markets at Romsey, Hythe and Lymington, the double demise of Totton's own market does not seem to support a further revival.