Question mark over market (From Witney Gazette)

Question mark over market

9:00am Wednesday 5th July 2006 in Witney By Samantha Simpson

A QUESTION mark hangs over the future of Carterton's market site, after it was sold following a drop in stallholders and customers.

The long-term operator, Grenchurch, which has traditionally rented out stalls and plot spaces to traders for the weekly market, has sold the town-centre site to The Midcounties co-operative.

Gloucestershire-based Grenchurch will continue to run the market on Thursdays in the short-term, but the co-operative said it was undecided about what would happen long-term to the 1.7-acre site.

The market, off Alvescot Road, has been operating since the early-1970s, and while it once thrived with up to 200 stalls a week, both the number of traders and customers have declined in recent years.

Last year, major public consultation began into plans to redevelop Carterton town centre, and despite the decline in popularity, there was widespread support from residents, who wanted the town to retain a market.

Town mayor, Phil Scott, said although plans were still in the early stages, and the town council was still looking for appropriate developers to help steer the redevelopment forward, it was possible that another market site would be set up elsewhere in the town centre, on a smaller scale.

For this to happen, it is likely that the road at the northern end of Black Bourton Road and the eastern end of Alvescot Road will be closed and pedestrianised.

Meanwhile, there are concerns over what will happen to the old market site, though Midcounties co-operative said it wanted to reassure people that it had no plans to 'ride roughshod over the town'.

The co-operative, which became Britain's fourth-largest co-operative society with the merger of Oxford, Swindon, and Gloucester co-operative and West Midlands co-operative, already runs a large Co-op supermarket near the market site.

Spokesman, Adrian Barradell, said: "It's in a key location and, because of our relationship with Carterton, we were very interested in buying it. We do have a property portfolio, and thought this would be an interesting addition.

"There are no initial plans to change anything. The weekly market will continue in the short-term. In terms of Carterton's redevelopment, we will be working with all the local parties, including the local authority, to look at the best future use of the site."

Carterton Town Council has pioneered the redevelopment of the town centre, as part of the Carterton Fast Forward (CFF) project, set up after a 'healthcheck' on the town in 2003.

Town clerk, Janet Eustace, said the council had been informed about the sale, but no one from the co-operative had yet been in touch to discuss the market site's future.

However, she said: "It is promising that they've said they will be in contact, as we would be keen to find out their plans."

Grenchurch has not revealed for how much the site was sold, but said it had received 13 bids and 'considerable interest' in the site.

Lester Giles, who runs Giles sports, toys, and cycle shop in Alvescot, and is treasurer of Carterton Chamber of Commerce, was 'disappointed' it had gone to the co-operative.

He said: "The market site is too big for a market to continue operating from, but there is a concern that it will be left empty for years."

"The CFF Partnership has a great vision for the redevelopment of the site to bring in more shops, but the Midcounties co-operative has a track record in Carterton of leaving a site undeveloped it took them years to build the Co-op after buying the land."

But Mr Scott was hopeful the co-operative would take an active interest in redeveloping the site and meeting the vision of CFF.

He wanted to reassure residents that the partnership would do what it could to ensure the future of Carterton as a market town.

He said: "It is a market town, and we are conscious that we want to keep it that way. It seems such a waste that the other site is used only once a week, so I hope this is a really positive step forward in the town's future."