Frome’s Charter Market has been chosen to boost the town’s retail economy.

In October last year, Mendip District and Frome Town Councillor Adrian Dobinson (Lib Dem, Berkley Down) announced the proposal at a full Frome Town Council meeting.  Frome Town Council’s Leader also backed the idea and has pledged financial support to the scheme. In addition, Mendip’s Portfolio Holder put together a joint council and all-party market committee to progress the project.

The aim is to revitalise Frome town centre as a shopping ‘destination’ by making the weekly markets much more visible to people and attractive to shoppers and stallholders, and to attract new stallholders (as well as retaining existing traders) to double or treble the size of the weekly market in Frome to 40 or 60 stalls.  The appearance of the market will be improved by investing in standardised stalls and attractive matching covers, following the example of the successful Wells markets.  The provision of stalls will also give opportunities to small traders and new starters to try their hand at market trading without having to invest in their own equipment before they have become established traders. Opportunities to share this investment with other public and private sector partners are currently being explored, and initial dialogue in this respect has been very constructive.

Mendip District Council’s initial proposal (as presented in the original paper for 30th Jan MDC Cabinet meeting – see http://www.mendip.gov.uk/CommitteeMeeting.asp?id=SX9452-A78368C4&cat=1 ) was to work towards a 3 month weekly trial relocation of the Saturday market in Frome to the Market Place (with a road closure of the main road through town between Cork St and Market Yd car parks) and work towards this in partnership with Frome Town Council and in consultation (on a Steering Group) with Frome Chamber of Commerce and local councillors.   MDC asked Somerset Highways to consider an application for a temporary road closure order in order to give MDC the option of using the Market Place for a relocated market. The order is before SCC to approve or refuse, and a decision may be made at end of March / April. 

The publication of the Cabinet paper sparked a big debate about where the market should be, and the effects of a road closure amongst councillors and local residents and traders – (see the Frome Times’ and Somerset Standard’s letters pages!).

I and other Lib Dem and other councillors in all parties raised the concerns of our local residents at a briefing, which we called for, and at the latest (expanded) Steering Group meeting last week, to say that:
–       there was a need for other options to be considered (that do not involve a road closure, as there may be several);
–       for the effects of a road closure on traffic along ‘diversion’ routes to be assessed; and
–       for consultation with all affected parties to help decide on the best location for an expansion of the market, before a ‘trial’ expansion begins in the Spring. 

And ‘they’ listened, which is nice … so I and other councillors then set to work to update everyone involved and to achieve a consensus in the community and at Mendip that an amended proposal, that kept all options open, assessed the impacts and consulted all concerned, would be a good thing for Frome and for Mendip DC. …

(continued …)

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