January 24, 2006
Plans for continental market on Burnham seafront unveiled
The possibility of a large continental market coming to Burnham seafront this summer moved a step closer this week.
Town Centre Manager Anne-Marie Spalding revealed she has held “positive” talks with a leading market operator about a 2-3 day event in the town this summer – possibly being held in either May or June.
“We have an operator who is very interested,” she told a meeting of the Town Council’s Improvements Committee on Monday night (January 23rd).
“The aim of the event will be to encourage extra people into Burnham and also to keep tourists here,” added Mrs Spalding.
The market would probably be held on The Esplanade, near the town’s tourist information centre, and would start on a Thursday and run through the weekend.
Among the products on offer would be cheese, meat, alcohol, bakery items, confectionery and craft merchandise from across Europe.
But former Mayor Louise Parkin, who chairs the committee, sounded a warning that products on sale would need to be ‘vetted’ to avoid “competition with existing shops in the town.”
“The whole point of having a continental market is to have continental produce,” she said. “We don’t want the market stealing away trade from our existing traders.”
The news comes as plans to move Burnham-On-Sea’s monthly farmers markets into the High Street are also moving forward. The first could be held in March or April, pending agreements with local traders and traffic officials regarding the closure of the road.
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