EPPING Town Council has rejected a move to hold a farmers' market in the town on one Saturday a month.
The move comes after town clerk Bob Whittome consulted with Epping's Monday market traders and others about the idea.
A subsequent report stated: "Meetings with existing market traders suggest very strong resistance to holding a farmers' market on one Saturday a month. It is suggested such an arrangement would seriously damage the Monday Charter Market."
Current Monday market traders do not object so strongly to a farmers' market being held on a week day. They feel it would not be as damaging to their trade if held on a week day because of the longer gap between market shopping days.
However a recent 12-month trial that ran a farmers' market on one Friday a month was deemed unsuccessful and the operator was unwilling to continue a week day farmers' market with such poor prospects.
Mr Whittome said: "I think both the organisers and the Monday market traders are aware that if it's held on a Saturday it may well be a successful farmers' market. But if that means it is detrimental to the Monday market where is the value in that for the town?"
Town councillors accepted the recommendation that a farmers' market on a Saturday would damage the Monday market, and agreed it wouldn't really be an acceptable development."
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