Since the last update on Bassetlaw District Council’s decision to evict market stallholders from Retford Buttermarket at short notice, matters have continued to develop. The council had announced its intention to repurpose the Buttermarket into a food hall, backed by a £1.2 million grant.
Concerned parties, including long-standing traders, felt the council’s decision was both hasty and poorly thought through. Retford currently hosts around 70 eateries, including restaurants, cafés, takeaways, chip shops and salad bars. A new venture is also due to open on Carolgate, offering paninis and jacket potatoes. It has been argued that rather than competing with such businesses, the council should support enterprises that bring empty shops back into use.
Sue Clarke, a trader at the Buttermarket for over 25 years, submitted a Freedom of Information request to clarify claims that the council had conducted a local consultation supporting the proposed food hall. The findings revealed that the council never explicitly asked whether residents supported changing the Buttermarket into a food hall. The actual consultation question asked was whether respondents would support repurposing the Buttermarket to provide additional indoor trading space – a more ambiguous phrasing.
The consultation results from 571 people were as follows:
- Agree: 206 (36.08%)
- Strongly agree: 160 (28.02%)
- Don’t know: 87 (15.24%)
- Disagree: 63 (11.03%)
- Strongly disagree: 55 (9.63%)
In response to how stallholders were treated, Peter and Angela Pimperton launched an online petition, as well as collecting in-person signatures from concerned members of the public and local businesses. A petition containing 2,021 signatures was submitted to Bassetlaw District Council on Thursday 12th June. It was due to be discussed by the Growth and Economic Prosperity Team, with a response expected by Tuesday 1st July, but at the time of writing no reply has been received.
The online petition remains active and had reached 361 signatures as of 1st July. Further handwritten signatures continue to be collected. In light of objections and public concern, the proposed start date for works has now been pushed back to September. It has also been noted that Bassetlaw District Council intends to close the entire Town Hall for the duration of the works, reportedly for one year. This may impact town centre functions, including the Act of Remembrance in November.
It is argued that a clearer consultation process, using direct and unambiguous questions, could have enabled a more informed and less controversial outcome. Supporters of the campaign continue to advocate for fair treatment of current Buttermarket traders, including those providing refreshments and baked goods, and for the £1.2 million grant to be used more effectively.