Crawley’s Friday and Saturday market will move to Queens Square for the busy Christmas shopping period, ahead of the area’s major £3.2m face lift.
Councillor Peter Smith, Cabinet member for Planning and Economic Development at Crawley Borough Council, said: “There isn’t a specialist Christmas market in the square this year so I’m sure stallholders will be delighted to trade there, especially when our festive events are taking place on Saturdays in the run-up to Christmas, giving the square an even greater buzz.”
Following planning approval, the market was scheduled this month to relocate directly from the High Street to The Broadway with some stalls also on Haslett Avenue West. However, Crawley Borough Council has since discovered that whilst street trading is permitted on The Broadway itself, Haslett Avenue West does not yet have consented street status.
The council has therefore decided to allow the Friday and Saturday market to operate on a temporary basis in Queens Square and Queensway from Friday (27 November) until the middle of February.
In addition, the council is supporting traders by allowing the market to operate in Queens Square on Monday 21 and Tuesday 22 December.
Councillor Peter Smith said: “Once it came to our attention that we can’t at the moment extend the market into Haslett Avenue West it was an easy decision to move it temporarily to Queens Square. We believe this will give market traders an excellent temporary alternative location over the Christmas period and into the New Year while officers seek a resolution to this matter.”
The council is applying for street trading consent for Haslett Avenue West. If approved by the council’s Licensing Committee on 12 January, it’s expected that market stalls will move to their new home on The Broadway and Haslett Avenue West from 19 February.
In addition, the Wednesday market – which has been in Queens Square for more than three years – will join the Friday and Saturday market on The Broadway and Haslett Avenue West before work on the Queens Square regeneration scheme begins there in June 2016.
For more information about markets in Crawley visit www.crawley.gov.uk/markets
For details of Christmas events in Crawley visit www.crawley.gov.uk/events