Peterborough market trader says he is facing eviction - after being told he could continue trading

An outside trader at Peterborough market has spoken of the “mental stress” he has been put under after being told he could continue trading by Peterborough City Council - but now says he faces eviction.

Most outdoor market traders at the city market in Northminster will be forced to close their stalls for at least eight weeks ahead of the April 1 deadline - when ownership of the land is passed over to a construction company building 300 houses on the site.

The work is part of plans to relocate the existing market in Northminster to a new market on Bridge Street - which will open in June this year.

Steve Wetherill owns a fruit and vegetable stall at the current market. He is the only outside market trader not to close his stall ahead of this Friday’s deadline.

A Peterborough City Council spokesperson told the Peterborough Telegraph that it offered all market traders, who are moving to the new Bridge Street market location, a ‘paid eight week holiday’ from April 1.

The council said Mr Wetherill declined this offer and wanted to continue trading. But Mr Weatherill said he was never offered the ‘holiday’ and was told he could continue trading from Laxton Square. He maintains that he was not given sufficient notice about leaving the site.

“I was told that I would be allowed to continue trading from Laxton Square and use the council’s storage unit inside the food court area as of last Tuesday (March 22),” Mr Wetherill said.

“Since then, I spoke to the construction company who said I couldn’t use the storage units because it was their land as of April 1.

“The council employed the construction company, who are developing the new market, to sort me out and on Friday (March 25) they came up with the idea of putting a 40ft lorry container with roller shutters to go in front of the 5th Avenue Wall on the council boundary.

“I was told that the container would take two-to-three days to arrive, but on Saturday (March 26) I received a text from the company to say that I couldn’t have the container for six weeks.”

‘I’m worried about what’s going to happen’

Mr Wetherill told the Peterborough Telegraph that he explained to Peterborough City Council and the construction company that they needed to either find an alternative, suitable solution or offer him a compensation package.

He claimed he was offered compensation at that stage but that the figure was ‘an insult’ as April and May are his two busiest months.

“This morning (March 29), the construction company said they could build a compound out of wire fencing on the highstreet where I could store my stall. It’s just never going to work because the stall would get broken into.

“I’m getting desperate now. We’re running out of time and ideas, and I want a compensation package. It’s the last resort.

“I’ve been a market trader since the age of 12 and I’ve never experienced being treated like this. The mental stress they have put me through is unbelievable - I’m worried about what’s going to happen next.

“They have to give me two weeks' notice in writing for eviction or termination of the licence. I’ve got to be out on Thursday and they still haven’t.”

Peterborough City Council ‘limited’ over storage solutions

Peterborough City Council claim Mr Wetherill was offered the same eight-week paid holiday as the other traders who are moving to the new Bridge Street market in June.

A Peterborough City Council spokesperson, said: "When the decision was made to give the market traders an eight week holiday from April 1, all traders who are moving over to the Bridge Street location were offered this.

“The traders are being paid and the payments are the same for each trader. Mr Wetherill declined, as he said he wanted to continue trading.

"We have tried to accommodate Mr Wetherill's desire to continue trading and after liaising with the construction company, offered an alternative trading location on Laxton Square.

"However, as we will no longer own the site from April 1, we are very limited in terms of what storage we can provide for Laxton Square. All storage solutions we have offered have so far been turned down."