Market traders' rents waived ahead of disruption

Traders at Leicester Market have been told their rents will be waived until the end of 2026 because of disruption expected to be caused by upcoming construction work.

Stallholders have been moved to a temporary market on Green Dragon Square while a major revamp of the market area is carried out.

However Leicester City Council has warned their trade could be disrupted by imminent work to install a new electricity sub-station as well as the acceleration of the market project itself in the coming months.

The move has been largely welcomed by traders who have said business has been slow at their temporary home.

Leicester mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said it would cost the council about £100,000 in income but it would help traders through a difficult period.

Fruit and vegetable trader Stefan Powley said: "It's really good news because trade isn't very good and it has not been good for a long time.

"It's nice for them to be thinking about the market traders.

"You're saving £400 a week which helps pay the wages.

"At least they've done that for us, that'll help out and we'll see from there."

Cobbler Nitin Gohil, who has traded at the market for 30 years, said: "I think it's definitely been a long time coming.

"It needed to happen for us to survive so we can go back to the original location and enjoy the new market.

"Even with this rent relief, we could lose more money than that if people don't come.

"People need to know that we are still here every day of the week.

"I am acutely aware of the difficulties that both the outdoor traders and those inside the food hall are facing, as we drive forward the transformation of our market place," Soulsby said.

"Running a business from a building site certainly brings its challenges, and it's clear that the works are having an impact on footfall.

"As we make this final push towards completing the scheme, the disruption will inevitably intensify – and I recognise the impact this will have on traders who are already struggling.

"I hope this gesture shows that we want these businesses to survive – and that we want them to continue to prosper when these long-awaited improvements to the market have been completed."

Soulsby added: "I sincerely hope that the traders' loyal customers will not be put off by the inconvenience of the building works and will continue to support them through these difficult times."

Work to create an enclosure for the new sub-station at the rear of the Corn Exchange could take up to 24 weeks, the council said, with works to install the new transformer, and connect it to the power network, expected to continue into the new year.

Access to the food hall will be maintained throughout the works, with three of the hall's four entrances open at all times.

Hoardings will be put up around the site compound to create a safe corridor for shoppers using the entrance close to the Alice Hawkins statue, while the doors on Market Place North and the entrance closest to the Corn Exchange pub will be unaffected by the current works.

The council said food hall traders have already had to deal with disruption caused by works to create a new electrical switch room – and would face more challenges when work to lay the new market surface begins.

The authority added there would be further inconvenience for the market traders before Christmas, with a demolition team set to start work on Market Place North to create a new link through to Cank Street.

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