Traders hit out at council plans to improve Whitehaven Green Market

Rhett Harrison and Tony Huddleston are Whitehaven’s last two market stall holders with nearly sixty years of trading in the town between them.

The pair fear they will no longer be able to trade in the Green Market after Cumberland Council unveiled plans to improve the area, along with Duke Street, under the Whitehaven Public Realm Scheme.

The plans for Whitehaven Green Market which have been unveiled by Cumberland Council (Image: Cumberland Council)

The traders have launched a petition against the plans and are urging the council to stop and reconsider ‘before consigning them to history’.

The market has been a central part of the town for hundreds of years and a charter, which has to be publicly proclaimed every August 12, was first granted in Whitehaven in 1672 by Charles II.

Cumberland Council say no eviction notices have been issued and the traders will have the opportunity to move to King Street or another agreed location while the improvement works begin.

Mr Harrison said: “As we understand it, the charter was quite uniquely given to the people of Whitehaven to have a trading market, specifically in the Green Market and could only be revoked by parliament.

“As the last two traders surviving the steam roller of e-commerce and the Covid pandemic, we realise that although only a pale shadow of the market as it was, we do still make a small contribution to what is a living and breathing community."

Mr Huddleston added: “We have literally thousands of customers who over the years have become so much more. We witness and are made a party to their lives - births, deaths, breakups, triumphs and disasters and all the innumerable happenings which make up the drama of our lives.

“None of this will be apparent to the powers that be but we do ask them to stop and reconsider before consigning us to history.”

Betty Telford, of Dickinson's Court, Whitehaven, signs the petition (Image: Newsquest)

Betty Telford, 90, of Dickinson's Court, who regularly visits the market stalls for books, said: “I think it’s absolutely terrible. It used to be a smashing market. It was lovely.”

Chris Hayes, deputy mayor of Whitehaven, said: “While I welcome any funding  to help regenerate our town, I just can't see these proposals being of any benefit to the town and its residents.”

Whitehaven town councillor Brian O’Kane, said: “I don’t understand why this is going to go ahead after serious concerns have been raised about the remnants of the market in the town.

“My biggest concern is, will this initiative add to the footfall of the town and increase expenditure going into shops? To me, the answer is no.

“The council has had so many requests for public toilets. This is a situation of public need rather than a few benches and trees.”

Market traders Rhett Harrison and Tony Huddleston with Whitehaven town councillors Chris Hayes and Brian O'Kane (Image: Newsquest)

A Cumberland Council spokesperson said: "As we continue to improve Whitehaven through the Public Realm Scheme, our focus remains on enhancing the Green Market and Duke Street areas for everyone in the community.

“Delivery of works will bring some disruption and naturally it would not be possible for trading to occur in the areas undergoing improvement. 

“Mindful of this, in the new year, the traders will have the opportunity to move to King Street or another agreed location while the improvement works begin.

“Supporting our local businesses through these changes is a top priority, and we are dedicated to helping them continue to thrive as we create a more vibrant town centre for all."