Traders face uncertainty over market move
BBCMarket traders have said they face uncertainty as they wait for a temporary move after the approval of controversial refurbishment plans.
Cambridge City Council approved plans for a multi-million pound redevelopment of the market square earlier this month.
The council said it was "committed" to keeping open the market, which has operated since the Middle Ages, but traders are still waiting to hear where they will be moved to.
Trader Tom Wells said he and his customers felt "betrayed" by the council.
LDRSLisa Huffer, who works at the Peter Graves florist stall, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "There's so much uncertainty for traders and people want to buy their winter stock. A lot of people don't know whether to buy or not."
The 50-year-old said she was worried the cost of renting the new pitches would cause independent traders to be "pushed out".
Customer Sam Findlatar said shopping habits had already changed and moving traders could cause the market to lose even more customers.
The council said it had submitted a planning application last week - expected to be decided in November - for temporary stalls to be set up on nearby streets.
These include: King's Parade, St Mary's Passage, Petty Cury and Sidney Street with more stalls available on Fisher Square and Sussex Street during busier trading periods.
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Wells, who has traded on the market since he was 13, said he felt "betrayed" by the council's decision.
"I think the people feel the same - customers feel betrayed – they went against the people they are supposed to represent. There will no longer be a market here, there will be a miniature shopping centre.
"We're not against a refurbishment, we're just against their refurbishment – they say they have consulted us, I would say they haven't," the 21-year-old said.
LDRSMarcin Rys spent 20 years building his business and said he does not believe the redevelopment will happen as planned.
"The city centre has got something really unique, character – they will make it like the train station, it's cool but it's not Cambridge," he said.
The council owed all traders certainty, he added.
A spokesperson for the local authority said the application for a temporary market is being consulted on until 7 October.
Work on the square could begin in January, if given the necessary approvals, they added.
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