Could Cambridge market become too expensive to run?

Concerns have been raised that Cambridge market could become too expensive to run if Cambridge City Council goes ahead with installing removable stalls that can be taken down to create entertainment space.

Market trader Glenys Self, who runs the Friends of Cambridge Market, fears the cost of a team to put up and take down the stalls could be too much for the cash-strapped council – and may force it to shut the market down.

Other concerns raised by the trader include the suitability of any new location proposed for the market while redevelopment takes place. And there are fears that removing the stalls for events in summer or Christmas markets will impact market businesses that rely on those busy times to survive.

Glenys said: “Some of these ideas could kill off our businesses – just as other markets up and down the country have vanished.

“How much will it cost to employ a team to put up and take down the stalls? My concern is that it will be expensive. So in the future, the council may plead poverty and say we can’t afford to run this market anymore. I worry they will take it down and leave it down.

“In the summer, the logistics of taking down the stalls for events might interfere with the length of time we have to trade on the market on a Saturday. I take a lot of my income in the latter part of the afternoon, that’s when it picks up. And if we have to start packing up at that point, people aren’t going to be very happy.

“The highest footfall for the market is in the summer and in the run up to Christmas – these periods sustain us during the quiet times of the year. If they are going to displace us for summer events, or to make way for Christmas markets, our businesses will not survive.

“We also have not been told where the market will be moved to while this redevelopment is going on. Will we lose customers? We are feeling very vulnerable.”

She raised other questions at a market traders’ meeting with the council on June 25, including whether the demountable stalls will have an electricity supply.

And if the number of stalls on the market is set to be reduced at weekends to make way for new dining areas and a new ‘vista’ through the market to improve views of the Guildhall, Glenys asks: “How are they going to get rid of the traders, so that they can reduce the market? If the answer is they are going to terminate contracts, none of us is safe anymore.”

A vision for Cambridge’s new ‘civic quarter’ has been released by the city council and shows half of the permanent stalls on the market square removed to make way for entertainment space.

Residents are being asked to have their say on the ideas during a consultation that will last until 28 July.

A city council spokesperson said: “Currently this project is at such an early stage that we can’t provide all the answers. We will be working closely with traders over the coming months as we develop our proposals for the Market Square. We will be talking to traders in person on 26 June and online on 11 July, and receiving feedback through our online survey which is open until Sunday, 28 July a cambridge.gov.uk/ccq.

“We still need to determine what type of events could take place, how regularly, and at what times. Evening cinema events that have happened in the past have been popular, with many traders staying opening longer and able to generate more sales – but we are asking whether weekend evenings are best, or whether there are other times and days that could be better.

“We also still need to determine what structures could be used to enable the flexible space to work well, finding a solution that can be easily dismantled, or retracted into itself, while still being robust enough when used as market stalls. Any costs associated with flexible market stalls will need to be taken into account as our proposals develop.”

The council added that a concept design for the market will be published in November, followed by more consultation, including how to “minimise impact” on traders.