Woolwich market traders face 10 per cent fee increase at new square
Woolwich market traders are set to see a ten per cent fee increase according to a new Greenwich Council report.
A document outlining future cuts and fee increases states traders displaced from Beresford Square during yet another revamp project will face pitch fees rising three times the rate of inflation upon return.
The latest public realm project on Beresford Square is nearing completion and space for market traders has been reduced to a small section along one side.
That won’t be along the main flow of pedestrians between Powis Street and the Elizabeth line impacting passing footfall.
Coupled with fee increases it’s possible many will now need to leave and cease trading in the town.
New upgrade after past failings
The latest attempt to renovate the square follows a multi-million pound project undertaken around the early 2010s that didn’t last.
Renders of a buzzing space with nightlife and outside seating proved a dream.
So just over a decade later it was out with all the expensively laid paving and new lighting scheme for yet another few million spent on a further attempt.
There’s much that looks promising in the new square though some warning signs it may again fail to rejuvenate the area both day and night.
Not only are market traders shifted to one side but the Royal Arsenal Gatehouse – which could have been a key part of the puzzle in any future success – is to see no change of use.
A bar/cafe/pub/restaurant which could attract visitors from the Royal Arsenal over the road is not happening. It could have nicely framed the square bringing footfall day and night. But no.
Plans for a gallery seen in early planning drafts also appear scraped. And now even the diminished market trading areas see stallholders face high cost increases.
With fewer trading spots charging higher fees may see traders willing to stump up – though whether footfall is high enough remains to be seen.
A market has existed in the towns since the 1600s with its heart around Beresford Square.
Wider cuts
Plans for next year see proposed street cleaning cuts originally due this year fully implemented after a delay alongside the closure of Maryon Wilson Animal Park.
The lowest earning households in the borough would see exemptions removed (with a limited support fund established) while libraries and leisure centres will see cuts.
Greenwich Council’s element of the overall Council tax bill is set to increase by 4.99 per cent.
I remember in the early 00s the Council was hell-bent on smartening up the appearance of the market and mandated smaller, matching stalls. A lot of the regulars had already left after the first big round of price hikes in `98, as well as the lovely Sunday flea market. Being forced to take a smaller stall that just about covered the barrow but left no shelter for the trader saw many of leave Woolwich for the safer location of Bexleyheath.
By 2012 all the small stalls were abandoned but a lot of the regulars like Wolfie’s burger stand had either moved on to Lewisham or Deptford, or simply retired. I don’t imagine Greenwich will mourn any further losses, fixated as it has been for years on some fantasy plaza free of unruly market stalls.
I think the 10 per cent hike in fees may be too high for many of the stall holders who may choose to leave Woolwich Market or give up trading altogether
Sadly I can also see a lot of market stall traders calling it a day at Woolwich market and finding new cheaper pitches elsewhere. Money is tight for lots of people and this increase can be too much to afford for a lot of traders who are already struggling financially. It will be a shame if they go at a time we were hoping to see the market expand and encourage new traders to Woolwich Market.
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