New Covent Garden Market’s tenants’ association chairman Gary Marshall emerged from a “very positive” meeting with Defra minister Lord Bach last week in confident mood.
Following the latest - and probably final - stage of the judicial review on March 20, Marshall is “extremely optimistic” that the dice will eventually fall in favour of his market, and the ability to grant the right to face-to-face wholesale of meat and fish will be back in the hands of the Defra minister.
He also told FPJ that work done on behalf of tenants in the last 18 months has manoeuvred them into a strong position with regards to the eventual sale of the market. “I believe we are the major stakeholder in all this now,” said Marshall. “There are a lot to be considered - Defra, the borough councils of Lambeth and Wandsworth, Transport for London and us amongst them. The proportion of tenants that are now members of the association has grown significantly - we need 80 per cent plus to be fully considered.”
He voiced the tenants’ frustration at a lack of progress in the 18 years since it was first made clear by the government that the Nine Elms site would be sold. “In that time, we have had no support, other than a verbal commitment from [then agriculture minister] Nick Brown to sell the market as a going concern.
“In that time, traders here have spent tens of millions of pounds upgrading their facilities and that is because of the belief we all have in our futures here.
“We don’t need or want to fall out with anyone, but we are certainly not going to sit on our hands. We will participate fully in the process.” He added that Lord Bach, although unable to offer cast-iron guarantees, pledged to talk to agriculture minister Margaret Beckett and do as much as possible to push legislation through next year. “He is a firm believer in the market, as is the government. We are in the right place, and we are determined to build on that,” said Marshall.
“We disagree with the summary of the PwC report, which suggests that the market is too big. It is obviously too big as a purely fresh produce site, but if, as we hope, it is to become a food centre for London, then that definitely is not the case,” said Marshall. He added that a composite market, which as well as food wholesale and foodservice companies could encompass retail, as well as training and education facilities, would be an excellent option for existing tenants.
“We’ve made sure that we’re right there in the mix, now we have to keep the momentum going,” said Marshall. “Our licenses run out in 2010 - I believe that is not going be the end of Covent Garden, but the beginning of the brightest period for this market since we moved to our present site.”
