A MILLION pound scheme to entice a new generation of market traders has failed to take hold - after it was revealed just one stall per week is using the new space a year after it opened.
When Goldthorpe’s market square was opened last October, it was hoped that it would help to kickstart the village’s regeneration.
A total of £1.37m of the £23m Towns Fund granted to Barnsley Council from the government was used to improve Goldthorpe’s town centre.
This included the demolition of the derelict Horse and Groom pub and the installation of a new town square for events and market stalls.
However, according to a Freedom of Information request, the number of ‘regular stalls’ has dwindled from eight last October to just one last month.
The National Market Traders’ Federation (NMTF) say plans are in place to reinvent the market in order to attract a ‘whole new generation of traders and shoppers’.
Joe Harrison, chief executive of the NMTF, says the current lack of use of the square is a ‘shame’ but admitted it is a similar story for markets across the country.
“There’s a lot more forward-thinking needs to be done on what we can do with the space and not necessarily run it as it always was run,” he added.
“Every community deserves a space like that.
“Nobody could knock Barnsley for the way that they’ve put the market at the heart of the new town centre and continually trying to do that with the district markets (such as Goldthorpe’s).
“The 125-year-old NMTF will do its utmost so Goldthorpe people can enjoy this space and put it at the heart of the community.”
Plans are underway to encourage young people - aged 16 to 25 - to operate a stall from the square, providing opportunities for them to set up and run their own business.
“It needs to be a family-friendly space for the community and the market as part of that,” he added.
“We’ll maybe look for different themes, such as vintage clothing, maybe a different offer on different days.
“Markets are all about feeding the community and being a community space - we can do that with the young people.
“We visit markets all over the UK so we can bring some ideas from elsewhere that might work in Barnsley.
“We need to reinvent what the market can actually do and create that footfall.”
Mr Harrison added that as the market is on a Thursday when most people are at work, a weekend market may attract more customers.
Coun Robin Franklin, cabinet spokesperson for regeneration and culture at Barnsley Council, said: “We’ve developed the Horse and Groom Square in Goldthorpe as a vibrant space for the community.
‘As well as a market space, it’s a central hub where residents can meet, relax in the community garden and enjoy a variety of exciting events.
“We’re committed to making sure the space thrives.
“As part of this we are working to attract more market traders to our Thursday market.
“We’ve held some fantastic community events at the square since it opened last October, such as the MAYhem Festival which attracted more than 1,300 people to the space.
“These events offer a great opportunity for market traders, bringing high footfall to the area, and we’ve got more exciting events on the way this year for traders to get involved with.
“Alongside a calendar of events, we’re also working on developing further projects for the square, looking at how we can encourage more traders to apply for a stall.
“The Horse and Groom Square is part of the wider ‘Heart of Goldthorpe’ project, which was allocated £1.37m from the Towns Fund to improve the environment and accessibility of the town centre, and create a sense of place that is well kept, cared for and visited.”
