Page 17 - MarketTimesJune2015
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Finally they got the green light to pedestrianise the road for market days following agreement over a new layout for the bus station, a new drop-off lane, new traffic lights and a new home for the taxi rank.
Then there was the issue of new stalls. The existing stalls dated from the 1960s and were long past their sell-by date, but finding the right solution for new stalls was no easy feat.
In the end they opted for 15ft by 10ft fixed stalls with square bars with wide green and white canopies.
Work started in January last year and was completed by September.
The new-look market was officially opened with plenty of fanfare. And although not every trader is happy with their location, the majority are pleased about the investment and are looking forward to better times.
Darren Taylor, who sells plants and flowers on the market, following an earlier career in engineering, said the refurbishment had gone well. “But the market alone will not bring in
the new shoppers the town needs,” he said. And he cited an issue that was echoed by
many traders — expensive parking. Malcolm Halket, who has sold tools on the
market for the past 10 years, said there was still the problem of customers getting older and a lack of young people market shopping.
While Roy Smith, who sells bedding, said the one thing that would make the biggest difference to footfall was free, or at least cheaper parking.
Footfall still needed to improve, said Steve Bourne, who has sold domestic appliance parts on the market for 31 years.
“It’s sad to say, but you don’t get the same loyalty to the market from shoppers that there once was,” he said.
And Len White, who runs the 102-year-old market fruit and veg stall, said: “I have been on this market for 62 years since my dad got me selling tatties at the age of 10.”
The good old days are unlikely to return, Len knows, but like the majority of traders, he is
hopeful that footfall will pick up over the coming months.
For some traders, like the butcher and the fish man, trade is always good at Newcastle.
Alan Smith, who travels from Fleetwood with his son Liam to sell fish from his van, said: “We travel 83 miles to this market every Friday and it’s well worth our while. It’s a really good, well-run market,” Alan said.
The Newcastle markets team know that the market remains a work in progress. Elaine Burgess said the council was planning what she described as a 20/20 review to look at how the market is run and how it could be improved.
“We need to improve our social media presence. We need to modernise our back office system. We need to update market bye- laws. New businesses need better support and we need to get more new traders.”
Despite the long to-do list, Elaine feels the future of the market is looking good, and few would disagree.
 Alan Smith and his son Liam travel from their home in Fleetwood to sell fish on Newcastle market, which they describe as “one of the best”
 FACTS & FIGURES
 l Market Days: Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday are general market days. Tuesday is antiques and Thursday is bric-a-brac. There is a farmers market on the third Friday of each month
l Market Rent: £20 per stall per day. Traders can rent additional stalls for £10 each.
l Newcastle-under-Lyme’s Claim to Fame: Newcastle-under-Lyme takes its name after a castle that was new in the 12th century and the forest of lime trees that covered North Staffordshire and South Cheshire in medieval times. Unlike the six pottery towns that now form Stoke-on-Trent, Newcastle is not linked with the pottery industry. In recent years its economy has centred around iron working, construction materials, clothing, computers and machinery.
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