I am writing to you to convey my deepest reservations about Brighton and Hove Council's action to close down the market at the West Pier.
As a resident of Brighton, I am sure I am not alone in having welcomed the market as a positive improvement to a drab stretch of the seafront.
When the market originally set itself up, it seemed to be positively welcomed by the council as a replacement to the drummers that used to congregate at the West Pier.
I am aware the market has grown over the last few years, but this surely is as a result of its popularity and should not be seen as a threat.
I am not personally involved with the market, apart from enjoying its presence, but was there on Saturday, July 8, when the stallholders were served with a 24-hour notice of closure.
This action has had the effect of making the area by the West Pier a wilderness again, and also of losing the stallholders their income at a stroke.
Surely a better response would have been to license the market and receive an income from it rather than shutting it down without anything replacing it.
The stallholders currently make a contribution to the West Pier redevelopment fund and bring interest to the area that in time will be regenerated.
I hope this issue will get coverage in the Argus and the council sees the sense in letting the market trade on until the works begin on the West Pier.
-Martin Wierzbicki, St Margarets Place, Brighton
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