Chatsworth Road awaits news on market

Despite a highly successful trial of a Sunday market on Chatsworth Road at the end of 2010, the Chatsworth Road Traders and Residents Association (CRTRA) is still waiting to find out about the future of the market.

About 140 people attended the CRTRA meeting on 19 January to hear about the next phase of the market and expressed their disappointment that Hackney Council had neither sent someone to attend the meeting, nor set an alternative meeting date to discuss the next steps to be taken.

However, last week the CRTRA received an agenda from Hackney Council with an assurance that a meeting with the markets department would go ahead this week.

Vice chair Anthony Matthews told the 19 January meeting that the council would have to have “a very good reason” not to go ahead with a weekly market.

Feedback from the three trial markets on 7 November and 5 and 12 December 2010 was overwhelmingly positive. Visitors completed almost 200 questionnaires indicating their support for it to continue.

Overall, the responses made three key points:

1. The market should be weekly, on a Sunday

2. It would be good to close the road to traffic

3. The mix of stalls is important, with many respondents favouring food and clothes.

There were concerns that the market should be reflective of the diverse community in and around Chatsworth Road and that it should stay affordable.

Sentiment at the meeting closely mirrored the questionnaire responses. “I want a market I can get my weekly shopping at,” one attendee said.

Minutes of the meeting and market news can be found at ChatsworthRoadE5.