A waste of space? Market Place comes under fire

THE lack of use of Melksham’s re-developed Market Place has come under fire from the community after plans to introduce outside dining to the space were thwarted by Wiltshire Council.

In an attempt to help support the market held every Tuesday and utilise the space available on the plaza outside the Town Hall, the ArtHouse Café, which is situated in the Market Place, suggested placing a couple of tables and chairs amongst the stalls for customers to sit and enjoy the summer sunshine. The cafe is run by Melksham Rotary Club and raises funds for local charities.

However, their idea was met with resistance by Wiltshire Council, who stopped the tables and seats being put in the Market Place and then invited the charity-run cafe to apply to be a market trader – an action that has been described as ‘ludicrous’.

Martin Elson from the ArtHouse Café explained, “We wanted to put a couple of tables and chairs out in the Market Place on market day to help bring more people along – the market traders were happy with the idea, very encouraging.

“I approached the markets officer from Wiltshire Council, who said ‘no’ and that she didn’t think it would be allowed, but she did offer to check back at her head office.

“We were then sent an application form to be a market trader, it was a huge thing, pages and pages, like conveyancing on a house or something – absolutely ludicrous! It had questions about square footage, social impact, a request for a police comment – just nonsense. It also said that there would be a two-month waiting period whilst the application is considered.

“I understand that they need to do these sorts of checks for market traders – but all we wanted to do was put out a couple of tables and chairs. It would help the market get more customers and we would also benefit as well – we are a café run by volunteers raising money for charity.”

Despite Wiltshire Council’s resistance, the idea has been met with enthusiasm by market traders and the public.

“It’s a shame that they (ArtHouse Café) can’t do it, we’re all in favour of the idea – we’d be happy for them to do it. It might make it busier for us, and we could do with being busier,”  said Melksham market traders Tracy Collins and Sean Taylor.

“It would liven the place up. Look at Devizes market – it’s a hive of activity,” said regular market visitor Jean Marshall.

“Good idea, it’ll draw people in,” agreed local Heather Songhurst. “Why not really enhance the space for one day – anything to fill this space up – get some tables here, get people here. It could be a real continental experience,” said another local person.

As news has spread of the difficulties faced by the ArtHouse Café, questions have started to be asked about what is being done to promote the Market Place as a space for the community to use.

When plans for the new Market Place were revealed in December 2014, Wiltshire Council described the final outcome as being ‘a high quality public space in the centre of the town where people can congregate for social, leisure and community activities’, also describing the space as having ‘potential for an outside dining area’.

However, ten months on since the Market Place re-development was completed, the space has only been used for the Christmas lights switch-on and the weekly Tuesday market – both already regular events prior to when works began.

“The whole place needs advertising to be used,” said one local woman. “There’s nothing here for the other six days of the week.”

Melksham News invited Wiltshire Council to comment on the situation with the ArtHouse Café and the lack of use of the Market Place as a space for events. A Wiltshire Council spokesperson said, “We are keen to assist the ArtHouse Café in promoting their charitable work and have asked that they complete the two- page form that is required for street furniture on council land. We are happy to assist applicants and as soon as we receive the completed form, we can move things forward.

“This process allows us to manage the placement of street furniture to ensure that public areas are safe for everyone to use. It is essential that those with mobility issues or visual impairment are considered. This has to be managed to minimise any danger or risk to pedestrians.

“We want council-land like the Market Place in Melksham to be well-used by the community and be a vibrant focal point for the local community.

“There are already plans for the Market Place to be used for events such as a Dementia Roadshow and the Melksham Family Learning Festival this year, and we welcome further applications and ideas from the community and are happy to speak to anyone who might want to use it.”