'Turn market stalls around or lose shops' say independent traders in Leighton Buzzard

Leighton Buzzard’s independent traders say they are being driven out by the town council’s determination to put the market before shops.

And they claim the council’s decision to have stalls facing the road rather than the shops means footfall has been badly hit on market days.

But the council says changes made to the market layout make it safer – and that customers prefer it.

Jewellers Stephen Alan, which has been in the town for 40 years, says it has seen takings drop by 60 per cent on Tuesdays and 40 per cent on Saturdays.

Fifteen independent traders have now formed the Independent Retail Collective to put pressure on Leighton-Linslade Town Council to look at the issue.

Goldsmith Dean Quy said: “On market days it’s not worth us opening up. We have had no communication between the market, the council and ourselves, it seems the market is their main priority. But independent shops could be gone from the town in five years.”

The changes to the market, brought in during the pandemic, mean shoppers walk along the High Street to go to the market, rather than between the stalls and shops.

"Residents are staying away from the town on market days because they don’t like the new layout,” added Mr Quy. “All we are asking is that the market stalls turn round and are put back to the way they have been for the past 170 years.

"We have approached the council, and we are only getting barriers. The council are all for the market and promoting the market but forget the shops that make the town what it is and we are being made to feel like we don’t matter.

“We would like to get support for residents of Leighton Buzzard and make them aware of our issues. If things don’t change the town will die like many other towns and we don’t want this.”

A council spokesman said: “The town council has been responsible for the market since 2012 and during that time, we have seen the market improve and a significant increase in footfall in the town centre on market days.

"During covid we all had to make adjustments to accommodate the restrictions imposed. The council made the decision to turn the market to face the road to improve accessibility, and at the time, allow for social distancing. We are really proud of being able to support the traders through this period of difficulty and, unlike other towns, our market has gone on to thrive and win the 2022 award for best Council run Market.

“Facing the road, the market is more accessible, safer and easier to shop. The traders are happy with the new layout and our annual survey last year stated that the public also prefer it. That being said, we take the comments from the shops seriously and have already met with the Independent Retail Collective. We have regular communication with the shops and will be working on a longer-term strategy to improve relationships and enhance our town centre offering on market days.

“Our next annual survey is due to launch in September, and we will be asking for opinions from stakeholders to include traders, business owners and the public on the High Street offer.”