The night market: a bright idea
Since April, the car park behind Bridge Street has turned into a night market every Friday from 6 pm to 11 pm. There are about forty stalls selling street food, handmade jewellery and second-hand books, and a different local band plays each week.
In my view, it is the best thing to happen to our town centre for years. On Friday evenings, the streets used to be empty after the shops closed. Now they are full of families and young people, and the atmosphere is wonderful.
Not everyone agrees. Some residents of Bridge Street have complained about noise, and one shop owner told me, “The market takes customers away from local businesses.” I understand these worries, but I do not think they are right. According to the town council, the number of visitors to the town centre on Friday evenings has almost doubled since the market opened, and several cafés now stay open later.
The organisers say that the market will create more than a hundred new jobs by the end of the year. That may be true, but they have not explained how they calculated this number, so I would wait for real figures before celebrating.
The market is not perfect. Parking is difficult, and some of the food is too expensive for a quick snack. But these are small problems that can be solved. The council should make the market permanent and add a second evening on Saturdays.