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Dovercourt: Street market a step closer (From Harwich and Manningtree Standard)
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Dovercourt: Street market a step closer
12:20pm Saturday 6th February 2010
PLANS for a market in Dovercourt are a step closer today after a street closure was agreed by Tendring Council.
The Licencing Committee met last week to discuss closing a section of Main Road on Fridays to allow stalls to be set up by traders.
The street closure between Station Road and Kingsway was approved at the meeting.
Lesley Pollard, chair of Harwich and Dovercourt Partnership, which is behind the market plans, said: “I’m thrilled to bits.
“It went a bit dead over Christmas and I was worried that it may not be going ahead but now it seems to be coming together.
“We went along to the licencing committee meeting and have also had a meeting with Neil Stock and INTend.
“It was mentioned that they would like to coordinate the market with the cruise ships coming in which would be good because we really don’t want to miss the tourists.
“It’s still in the hands of the gods though.”
The first cruise ship is scheduled to call at Harwich International Port on May 1.
Nigel Brown, Tendring Council’s communications manager, said that the council’s licensing committee has agreed to take the next step towards designating part of the High Street in Dovercourt as a consent street so that the town’s market can be moved there from Main Road.
“All the necessary notices will now be made and any representations the council receives will be considered at a special meeting of the licensing committee on March 17 when members will decide whether to go ahead with the designation,” he said.
“The area involved is the section of High Street between its junction with Kingsway and the junction with Station Road/Bay Road.”
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Your Say YourHarwich
Jimmy, Harwich says...
11:45pm Sat 6 Feb 10
I think the gods have got more to worry about than whether a crappy street market can be set up before the first cruise ship arrives.
As most of the cruise ship calls at Harwich are ones where passengers start and finish their holidays, I doubt there will be many people who wish to sample the delights of Dovercourt High Street. (in the same way that I've never really felt inclined to have a look around Crawley when I've flown from Gatwick on my summer holidays)
In the event that some of the cruise ship passengers do wish to purchase cheap tat and the market isn't yet set up, they needn't worry - there are plenty of pound shops in the high street to satisfy all their consumer needs.
bsidethecside, Harwich says...
11:47pm Sat 6 Feb 10
MariaFowler, Little Oakley says...
3:43am Sun 7 Feb 10
Trade from cruise ship/ferry passengers and crew is welcome . .however WE LIVE here, they're just passing through! 'Passing through' ...being the operative words!
bsidethecside, Harwich says...
10:07am Sun 7 Feb 10
What is this going to do to the traffic through the town on market days? Traffic is going to have to be diverted along Kingsway, which is not wide enough for two-way traffic without losing the existing parking spaces. There is no way that two buses could pass one another, and what about emergency services?
There is a reason why the existing Dovercourt market is practically non-existent. As Jimmy says, market stalls generally sell cheap goods, and we have plenty of shops that already do that - we even have a department store that is little more than an indoor market!
All people might want from a market stall now is fruit, veg and meat and, surprise, surprise, these are pretty much the only stalls that remain at the existing market.
To use the cruise ship passenger trade as a reason for this going ahead is folly. Some of the cruise lines that have traditionally used Harwich have already moved elsewhere this year, and others seem likely to follow suit.
What this town needs is a proper selection of shops, not more tat.
LG, Dovercourt / Harwich says...
6:42pm Sun 7 Feb 10
A TDC statement reads:"The Council has been in discussions with local traders over the last year and is keen to work with them and the local community". Yet isn't it ironical that they have so far progressed without the community's involvement on this vital and sensitive issue. This beggars belief.
Not wanting to go into details here and now, my message is clear:"No street market fronting shops. The integrity of the High Street must be respected".
A lifeline for the market however, is the site fronting Old Harwich Rail Station, which would be more acommodating and appropriate for that kind of activity.
dawn47, harwich says...
5:49pm Thu 11 Feb 10
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the undertaker, Harwich says...
9:09pm Sat 6 Feb 10