INTERNATIONAL street markets on Canvey could play a key part in the island’s “much-needed” regeneration.

It comes as senior councillors prepare for another meeting next month in a bid to salvage the ailing project to revamp the town.

With little information being given as to what proposals for the town are likely to include, it has prompted islanders to provide their own suggestions for what the town needs.

Peter May, a Canvey Independent councillor for Central ward has suggested creating a pedestrianised High Street which will feature pop up markets.

Mr May believes contacting embassies from around the world could provide a selection of foods as well as bringing increased visitor numbers. He said: “When I was in Australia I saw thousands of people coming together for these noodle markets, and seeing all the people there, I thought how great it would be to do something like that for Canvey.

“We have always had events like the Armed Forces Day and the Christmas lights switch-on which bring so many people together, so something like this could hopefully do the same.”

Traders have backed Mr May’s suggestion in principle, however have suggested the High Street is not the best location for the market.

Jan Payne, who runs a stall in the Knightswick Centre, believes that the shopping centre’s car park may represent a more workable solution.

Mrs Payne believes that closing the High Street off would cause havoc with the town’s bus services.

She said: “Many people depend on those buses to get in and out of the town, and without it they are stuck. We want to make sure people can actually get there, and in the High Street you have disabled people who need the taxi rank by Barclays, too.

“The idea has been suggested for a long time, but we need to think of a way around the traffic problems it could create.”

  • WITH much made of the progress of Hadleigh’s regeneration, islanders are calling for action after a series of false starts.

Canvey’s regeneration, while not as extensive as neighbouring Hadleigh, appears to be less advanced.

Proposals for large-scale regeneration of the island’s town centre were also revealed in 2010, and three years later, developer Aquila House Holdings was appointed to drive the £50million plan.

However, the plans which included creating a town square and new shops on the site of the Knightswick shopping centre car park, stalled after Sainsbury’s pulled the plug on the project.

Dave Blackwell, leader of the Canvey Independent Party, has urged Mr May to put his idea forward in the hope it can be discussed at next month’s meeting.

Mr Blackwell added that the council is still bidding to receive government money set aside to help coastal towns regenerate, following a series of meetings with Rayleigh and Wickford MP Mark Francois.