Blackheath Farmers’ Market is threatened by proposals to build 45 homes on the station car park, a local amenity society has claimed, branding plans for the market’s future “a fiction”.
Acorn Property Group, a north London-based developer, wants to build 20 houses and 25 flats in the car park, and insists that it wants to retain the Sunday market, which has traded in Blackheath station’s car park for nearly 25 years.
The Blackheath Society said the plans to retain the market were impractical and would put its future at risk. However, London Farmers’ Markets, which operates the market, has reiterated its support for the development, which it said would allow the market to expand.
The plans were submitted to Lewisham Council last month. It will make a decision on whether to allow the scheme – thought to be the biggest ever development in Blackheath Village – at a later date.
In its response to the council, the society said that one location for the stalls – alongside the edge of the station platform – would be “inappropriate” for traders and were “unlikely to be attractive to vendors”.
The society also said the space allowed for the market would be too small, and arrangements for setting up and taking down the market each week were “wholly unfeasible”.
“Overall, we consider the market proposal a fiction,” the society said. “It seeks to imagine something that cannot be realised in practice. If the development proceeds as proposed, our view is that the market will be much diminished. This result would be a significant net loss to the community and the economy.”
But London Farmers’ Markets, which has operated the market since September 2000, said that Acorn’s proposals would make the market easier to operate as it would introduce a one-way system for setting up and taking down the market.
“The very last thing we want is a proposal that would see the market close,” Mark Handley, a director of London Farmers’ Markets, told The Greenwich Wire, adding that the plan allowed the market to expand in the future.
He said the market had about 30 stalls, although this fluctuated during the year. Acorn’s proposal would include space for 40 stalls.
Handley said that London Farmers’ Markets was already assessing temporary sites for the market to move to while construction was under way.
The Blackheath Society also raised concerns about the number of car parking spaces that would be lost.There are currently 158 spaces in the car park, this would be cut to 17 if the development is built.
“We have heard from a number of village traders who are deeply concerned about the impact on their business that will arise where Blackheath loses such a substantial proportion of its parking supply and is perceived as a place that is not properly served with parking spaces,” it said.
“There is no way that the new purchasing power of new residents can outweigh the current level of incoming purchasing power into the village that will be lost.”
The society also said that John Ball primary school, which is next to the car park, would suffer from the loss of parking.
Acorn, which is not related to the SE London estate agent of the same name, has said that its plans would create “an attractive place to live, work and play”.
A spokesperson told The Greenwich Wire: “The delivery of a permanent home for Blackheath Farmers’ Market – a much-loved fixture of Blackheath life – has been at the heart of the proposals since the beginning
“The application includes a new market square and mews with additional space for the market to expand in future, both in terms of number of stalls and dates, with potential for Saturday openings.. The space allocated for the farmers’ market is 70 per cent larger than that which exists in the current licence with London Farmers’ Markets.
“The level of car parking provision has been driven by officers and local planning policy – with the reduction reflecting the site’s highly accessible location – and developed through discussions with planning officers and stakeholders.
“Parking surveys were undertaken during the design process to understand car park usage and the application is supported by a transport assessment. There have been constructive discussions with John Ball primary school including safety during peak pick-up and drop-off times and the school is supportive of the approach proposed. We are also supporting the school financially in developing its own travel plan.”
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