Proposals for a new three-day continental street market on Burnham-On-Sea seafront have been discussed by town councillors this week – with a September date supported.
Plans for the market were considered by Burnham and Highbridge Town Councillors during a council meeting on Tuesday evening (March 25th).
The event was initially proposed to be held from August 29th-31st, but councillors said this could negatively impact businesses and therefore September has been suggested as an alternative.
Organiser Joanne Evans from RR Events said the proposed outdoor market would be held on the seafront tarmac area between the jetty and the Bay View Cafe and would sell international items plus fresh food and crafts. The market has been held in several other locations in the past, including Weymouth and Weston.
She added: “We would like to bring extra footfall into the town centre. We are an operator of international themed markets and food festivals across the UK. We call these Continental Street Markets and they are an excellent way of attracting footfall in a safe and easy to manage outdoor setting.”
“The Continental Street Market would feature between 20-25 traders, which offer a range of hot food, fresh food and craft offerings, all with an international origin.”
She added that the company provides all the event infrastructure, including cleaning and removal of rubbish, and they would have an event manager on site during the market. She added that the company would be willing to pay a fee for the hire of the site.
Cllr Peter Clayton told Tuesday’s meeting: “It all sounds exciting and is probably something I would like to see. My issue relates to the existing traders in the town. They have been through the Covid pandemic, are seeing National Insurance increases, are potentially going to see parking charges introduced in the High Street, and they pay Business Rates. What you are proposing is on the biggest weekend of the year and they need the trade to survive the winter.”
He added: “If a lot of trade is taken away from them over that weekend, they are going to struggle. The car parks are already full that weekend and holding the event then could put people off coming if they can’t park. If you have a commitment to this town, we’d like to see you come in September and prove yourselves – and the worth to this town by raising the footfall.”
Cllr Mike Facey agreed that September would be a good month for the market, telling the organiser: “There are often still plenty of people about and it can still be quite mild. Give it a try and see what response you get from the public. We don’t want to be seen as always saying ‘no’ all the time, but we also want to respect our high street businesses. I think we can work together, but we have to be mindful of our traders.”
Councillors supported a September date for the market in an attempt to extend Burnham’s tourist season and support the traders. The market operator said she would consider revised dates and come back to the council.
The operator previously proposed holding a 12-day international-themed market for the seafront in 2022 at the height of the summer holiday which was turned down by councillors due to concerns from local traders about the impact on business.
