Peterborough market is ‘safe’ - council chief insists
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Cllr Wayne Fitzgerald insisted that the market will be relocated when its current site at Northminster is redeveloped, potentially from the start of next year.
The Conservative leader at the Town Hall was reacting to comments made by stallholders to the Peterborough Telegraph who feared for their futures after hearing of the plans for 350 ‘high end’ homes at Northminster, leaving some to believe they would be left with nowhere to trade.
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Hide AdWriting in his weekly Peterborough Telegraph column, Cllr Fitzgerald said: “I was pleased to see exciting plans announced by the Peterborough Investment Partnership (PIP) for the redevelopment of Northminster this week.
“It’s an area of the city that has been underutilised for such a long time, so it is great to see images of what it could become in the next few years – an attractive place for people to live and spend time.
“As well as people welcoming the news, it has also led to some of our market traders who currently occupy part of the Northminster site expressing concern about their future.
I am here to tell them that the market is safe in the council’s hands.
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Hide Ad“Yes, the market won’t remain where it is as that site is earmarked for redevelopment in the Local Plan and is a prime location for regeneration - we have been honest about that for some time. However, we see the benefits of having a market in the city and we want that to continue.
“Therefore, we are in the process of looking for alternative sites for a market to complement the other retail and leisure options and to make sure Peterborough remains a place that people want to spend time and visit. This work began at the start of last year, but the pandemic hampered our efforts.
“I will be visiting the market this Friday with Peterborough MP Paul Bristow to speak to traders and reassure them that we want to see a market in the city long-term.”