Market door closure impacts footfall, traders say

Market traders in Cheshire said the closure of one entrance to their site is causing them to lose footfall.

The side door to Winsford Market has been closed off, following a £22.5m regeneration in the town centre which involved work on a new superstore, coffee shop and a car park.

One trader, who co-founded a petition which received more than 1,500 signatures, said she understood "things have to move on" but said she felt this decision was "not good for the town".

Cheshire West and Chester Council said it was investing in the market, but it "cannot meet requirements by petitioners that would put the public at risk".

Cheshire West and Chester Council bought Winsford Cross Shopping Centre in 2018 and work started on the regeneration in 2023, which included a new B&M store, a Costa Coffee shop, and a public space.

As part of the work on the B&M store, changes were made to an access route with a side entrance to the market closed.

An area next to the side entrance which previously had some 15-minute parking spaces is now used as a delivery yard for B&M and smaller businesses in the area.

But traders said this closure is impacting them.

A petition was started by two traders, calling for detail on the evidence used to justify the closure and to review the closed route.

Julie Hodkinson runs a schoolwear business and her family have been based at the market for 60 years, while Jill Allen, who sells eggs, jams and chutneys, has been at the site for more than 30 years.

Julie said she was told that the closure was just while the refurbishment work was taking place.

"At the money we've got one entrance to the market and that is why we started the petition because lots of older people parked in the 15 minute parking spaces," she said.

"We have lost a lot of footfall with that door being closed off."

Jill said the previous spaces and side entrance were "ideal for people that just want to nip in and out, elderly people and disabled people".

"It's not only affected us, it's affected the whole of the town as well.

"We get things have to move on but certain things are moving on wrongly and it's not good for the town," she said.

She added she was "made up" about the response to the pettion, which received 1,572 signatures.

"We've been done down and the town has been done down. We agree with the regeneration but they can't keep taking off us," she said.

At a meeting to discuss the petition, council officer Siobhan Bird said that the calls from the traders were "something that can't be accommodated because of the physical restraints of the space".

"I don't believe that route is a good route for pedestrians to get into the building now," she said.

"I appreciate that that was different in the past but now the arrangement of the shopping centre is different and it's not an acceptable safe route."

Nathan Pardoe, the cabinet member for inclusive economy, regeneration and digital transformation, said the closure of the door was "the only way to manage the risk safely".

He said the concerns around footfall and visibility had "been heard loud and clear", but said that markets had faced challenges around demand, expectations and customer shopping habits.

"Reopening the door doesn't address those footfall and expectation changes, it doesn't reflect those challenges," he added.

Conservative councillor Simon Eardley said he felt it was a "matter of the process".

"They say they were informed, not consulted, and it was initially described as temporary, so what engagement levels were there with traders?" he asked.

Siobhan Bird said there was "an acknowledgement that some of the early consultation around this wasn't sufficient", but said traders had been consulted with on decisions made since she became involved in 2022.

Councillors backed recommendations to ask officers to review signage to the market, look into concerns about the consultation and consider putting together a report around past engagement and reasoning behind the decision to close the door.

Speaking after the meeting, Nathan Pardoe said the council had agreed to invest in the market last year.

"The public, traders and Cheshire West and Chester Council want the same thing – Winsford Market to be the best it can be, with thriving traders and more footfall," he said.

"At a time when other councils are closing their markets, Cheshire West and Chester Council believes in its markets across the borough and will transform Winsford Market for the better - securing its future."

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