Northleach market plans on hold (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Plans to move Northleach Charter Market to The Green put on hold

8:00am Thursday 7th March 2013 in News By Ian Craig

RESIDENTS are celebrating after controversial plans to move Northleach’s historic charter market were put on hold.

Last month Northleach and Eastington Town Council caused an outcry after announcing plans to move the market from the Market Place to nearby residential street The Green.

Concerned residents packed the town’s Westwoods Centre last week for the council’s monthly meeting, where chairman Cllr Neil Fletcher told them the plans were on hold following a food of negative feedback.

The Green resident Neil Sproston said he was concerned the council appeared to have made the decision without asking residents.

“Can the council assure residents of The Green they will be afforded the common courtesy of consultation before any decisions are made,” he asked.

When Cllr Fletcher assured him they would, Mr Sproston said he still felt the move would be ill-advised.

“There’s a simple rule – if it ‘aint broke don’t fix it,” he said.

His neighbour Louise Chandler-Mullins said she was concerned about the increased traffic through The Green if the plans went ahead.

“Residents will be forced to park around their houses on the pavements and this would cause a huge danger to families,” she said.

“I would be very worried about traffic around my own children.”

She added it would also be difficult for emergency vehicles to access The Green.

“I’m not very happy about this and I’m sure my neighbours aren’t either,” she said.

Market Place resident Nancy Jarrett said, as well as impacting residents, the plans could be seriously damaging to market traders.

“If it moves to The Green they will lose passing trade because nobody moving through the town will be aware there is a market on a Wednesday,” she said.

Cllr Fletcher said he was surprised the proposal had prompted such an outcry.

“We didn’t expect to cause such a commotion,” he said.

“We were only going to try this as an experiment and if it offended anyone it would have been put back.”

Cllr Brian Hulcup said he felt residents had made their opposition to the plans clear.

“We were going to ask for your views and opinions and we’ve clearly got that,” he said.

“I very much doubt we will ever move the market into The Green.”