Blackheath Planning Proposal

This is why we are supporting the application:

Plans have now been submitted for the redevelopment of Blackheath station car park. We believe that this development offers a viable market space and represents an improvement over the market's current situation offering:

• easier servicing via a one way system
• improved public realm for customers and stallholders
• room for future market expansion
• Modern power supply
• parking for some stalls
• Purpose built space with new modern materials
• managed clean environment to trade in

We have identified workable temporary sites for the market during any construction so we can be confident that there would be no disruption to the weekly pattern of markets while we waited for the development to be completed. It is for these reasons that we have expressed our support for the plans in their current form.

We obviously have a very strong interest in the effect that the development would have on the ability of Blackheath farmers market to survive and to thrive in the long-term. However we take no view on, and do not feel it is for us to comment on, the overall suitability of the residential development for the area as we are not residents. Our experience leads us to believe that when a developer offers a market a purpose built home we should seriously consider supporting those plans as another developer may come along with new plans that offers no future for a farmers market at all. So we would urge all friends and fans of the farmers market to support the current proposals to secure its future in the area.

We founded and have nurtured the market for 25 years now (we will be celebrating that birthday in September with customers and stallholders - (there will be free cake and other fun things) and we very much want the market to still be going strong in another 25 years. We would not support any plans that sought to harm the market or offered less favourable trading terms in the future.