Well…. It has been tried ….an extra market in the High Street…and the top half of the High Street closed to traffic……
i went to an Events committee meeting the week before and protested about the Made in Shropshire market and that the High Street would be partially closed . I think I was the only one there who had those views The comments from those present were that residents wanted this… There is no evidence of this as there has been no independent poll that would show that that the majority of Bridgnorth residents DO want this. At the moment it is all heresay
My point was that we really have to listen to the shopkeepers and market traders who are the backbone of this Saturday market. If there is no support for the shopkeepers etc. Bridgnorth will be a ghost town…another Dudley. At a recent Property and Grounds meeting item 12 on the agenda was the pedestrianisation of the High Street. My goodness….this brought out the shopkeepers and marketeers in force. Richard Beaman said that just making the High Street one way affected his trade what n earth would happen if the High Street was closed . Nick Bromley said he might as well pack up his stall if this was allowed to happen. A straw poll conducted by David and me with shopkeepers showed an overwhelming objection to closing the High Street to traffic . This was not a CofC poll just interested observers (***)
I also pointed out that Bridgnorth is a medieval town, most of the shops have no back access and it is not realistic to close the High Street when deliveries and collections have to be made by the front door!
On Saturday I had to Marshall for the Park & Ride so I wasnt around all day, however I did walk up the High Street at 8.30am to complaints about access. A bus driver said that buses were backed up on the relief road and causing traffic jams Later ( at around 3.00pm ) I walked around again – market traders I spoke to were saying they were dealing with a loss of 30-40% . The same with the shops ( Parker Taylor’s: Tanners). If the Made in Shropshire market was a wonderful one it might have made some sense ….but it wasn’t . Comments ranged from ..expensive….ordinary….curry made in Shropshire…..? I don’t know if it was true but some traders said that the Made in Shropshire stall holders did not have to pay for their presence on the High Street. This is hardly fair to the existing market stall holders or to the shopkeepers who pay hefty business rates .
Our Saturday Market has been there since ” time immemorial ” and because of this the marketeers have rights. It is not a Charter market, it is a 900 year old independent market . I believe there are only two In the country the other one being Skipton The Town Council can not do anything that is detrimental to the existing Saturday market Well they have …they have installed another market and they have closed the High Street . If that isn’t detrimental I don’t know what is .
(**** BridgnorthTownCrier is absolutely nothing to do with the Bridgnorth Chamber of Commerce. It was set up in 2013 together with the Friends of the Bridgnorth Market by five of us who wanted to start an independent community newspaper . It was set up long before the CofC was resurrected and we paid for the website independently These are our views …..and they can voice your views as well ….write to de@bridgnorthtowncrier.co.uk)
