Agenda item

This report presents Members with information in relation to the review they are undertaking on Newgate Market.

The committee received a report which presented further information relating to the review that they were undertaking on Newgate Market. This report followed on from a scoping report which was presented to the Committee on 8 December 2009.

 

In light of the current progress of the review and to inform Members, two site visits to the Market had been conducted. These took place in daytime hours before and in the evening directly after the meeting at the Guildhall and were led by the City Centre Manager.

 

Members received two presentations during their meeting at the Guildhall in relation to Newgate Market. Copies of slides from both presentations were circulated at the meeting.

 

• The first presentation was from Andy Ward, a member of the National Association of British Markets Authorities(NABMA), on what made a good market and which examples of good practice from examples of markets in other areas, should be followed. His presentation concentrated on who markets were for; with the three key stakeholders being the Council, the Public and Traders. During their discussion on the presentation Members made the following comments;

 

• Specialist markets in York usually take place in Parliament Street, which is easier to find than Newgate.

 

• That York was not a member of NABMA.

 

• Whether the market is in the right location.

 

• If the Council are making the best use of the current space.

 

• Whether the canopies currently used let in enough light and whether they  intensified the feeling of the area being claustrophobic.

 

• That lighting needs to be improved.

 

• That market traders do not tend to stay outside of footstreet hours.

 

• The current operating hours, for instance if the market was to be opened on fewer days of the week there would be more opportunity to clean and maintain the area.

 

The second presentation was given by a City Development Officer, who outlined the current views expressed on Newgate Market which included the responses and ideas obtained from the City Centre Area Action Plan(CCAAP) Issues and Options Document consultation and more recent ideas from the Renaissance Panel's charrette[1] weekend which discussed possible options for Newgate Market.

 

Officers circulated further information at the meeting on the preferred option of the Area Action Plan in relation to Newgate Market.

 

During their discussion on the second presentation Members made the following comments;

 

• Although the recent CCAAP consultation had included some specific questions on Newgate Market which had indicated that there were some negative aspects to the site, the respondents did not want the location of the current market to change.

 

Annex B to the report, detailed the ‘actual’ income of Newgate Market over previous years from 2005/06 to the present. This information had been requested by Members at the meeting of the Economic and City Development Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 8 December 2009.

 

Officers at the meeting added that;

 

• The market was still making a profit, although this is not as significant as in previous years.

 

• The annual cost of running the market was approximately £300,000 split predominantly between business rates, staff, cleansing and advertising.

 

• The figure for the shortfall for 2009/10 as outlined in paragraph 4 in Annex B had altered from £31,500 to approximately £20,000

 

 

Having noted all the above information, Members discussed the following points/aspects.

 

• The location of the market

 

• The Jubbergate entrance to the market

 

• Other access to the market(i.e. from The Shambles)

 

• Ownership of the ‘fixed stalls’ (i.e. the fish stalls and butchers stalls)

 

• Spatial use of the market (some areas of Newgate Market were currently neglected)

 

• Methods of advertising and promoting the use of Newgate Market

 

• The use of a different kind of stall(i.e. pop up rather than fixed)

 

• The possibility of fixing a glazed roof to part of the area.

 

• Special event and themed markets i.e. continental markets

 

• Cleansing provision

 

• The use of the market in the early evening and night.

 

Members also discussed the possibility of holding a public event to seek views of traders and members of the public who use the market, as outlined in the report.

 

In order to progress the review, Members requested the City Centre Manager and the Head of Economic Development to put together a set of proposals/business plan to bring back to a future meeting. In conjunction with other relevant departments within the Council this would include;

 

• How to realise the potential of the area
• Flexible usage
• Demountable stalls
• The incorporation or use of the Shambles and the associated buildings that abut the market.
• The need for an insistence on standards, which would lead to the perception of Newgate being a higher quality market.
• Making the market fit for purpose in the 21^st century.

 

 

RESOLVED:             (i)            That the reported be noted.

 

(ii)               That the City Centre Manager and the Head of Economic Development, in conjunction with other relevant departments in the Council, prepare a set of proposals/business plan for the area, to be presented at the meeting of the Economic & City Development Overview & Scrutiny Committee on 17 May 2010.

 

(iii)             That no public event be held as part of this review.

 

 

REASON:                              In order to progress this review.