European market comes to Stornoway
Everyone, everywhere, will have seen a European market (sic) which purports to be a traditional composite traditional French/German/central European market, and which arrived in Stornoway this week.
I have no problem with these traders trying to make a living, although a couple of comments by customers suggested that as a cash business, there may be issues with record keeping to ensure the correct amount of tax is being paid. But that is a matter for the retailers.
Some of the shopkeepers in the immediate vicinity have had problems ensuring continued access to their premises, and it certainly appears to be a causing a crush through the pedestrian precinct.
However, the issue I have relates to an item of private correspondence within the Fire Brigade locally and at HQ level.
I am told that the local Fire Safety Officer raised very serious concerns about emergency access to shop, houses and public buildings in the immediate area, and was against giving approval to the market for these reasons.
I understand that the local officer's advice was ignored by the Civic Government Licencing, and approval was granted because the local Fire Brigade were supposedly pre-occupied with local management issues.
I'm told that there is also an email in circulation confirming this and advising that the Comhairle can bury the news, due to familial influence over a Gazette reporter.
Can anyone forward this email to me? All sources treated confidentially, and incoming emails will be deleted.
LazyChicken adds 6/8/10: The Gazette would want to make it clear that they would never surpress a story due to family relationships.
I have no problem with these traders trying to make a living, although a couple of comments by customers suggested that as a cash business, there may be issues with record keeping to ensure the correct amount of tax is being paid. But that is a matter for the retailers.
Some of the shopkeepers in the immediate vicinity have had problems ensuring continued access to their premises, and it certainly appears to be a causing a crush through the pedestrian precinct.
However, the issue I have relates to an item of private correspondence within the Fire Brigade locally and at HQ level.
I am told that the local Fire Safety Officer raised very serious concerns about emergency access to shop, houses and public buildings in the immediate area, and was against giving approval to the market for these reasons.
I understand that the local officer's advice was ignored by the Civic Government Licencing, and approval was granted because the local Fire Brigade were supposedly pre-occupied with local management issues.
I'm told that there is also an email in circulation confirming this and advising that the Comhairle can bury the news, due to familial influence over a Gazette reporter.
Can anyone forward this email to me? All sources treated confidentially, and incoming emails will be deleted.
LazyChicken adds 6/8/10: The Gazette would want to make it clear that they would never surpress a story due to family relationships.
25 comments:
If there is an email like that, then whoever wrote it is an idiot. "In circulation" - indeed. If you want to do something shifty, illegal or immoral, never leave an e-trail - it's more trackable and permanent than a paper trail.
It's obvious it's a safety concern. How the hell's a fire tender going to get through Point Street with all these stalls, equipment, and vehicles to negotiate.
Not to mention the inconvenience to the local shops. Why do they put up with it...or do they have no choice??
4:21 PM - No choice!
While in principle a European Market is a fine idea in practice it can't possibly be. For instance, one young lady has recently opened a deli in Cromwell Street, almost certainly with no help from CnES, has probably put her and her family's life savings into it only to be raped by local and central tax collectors whereas the "Europeans" are welcomed by CnES with no rates, no refuse charges and little vat/paye to pay due to dodgy accounting practices. Help ma boab!
Oh come on! for one week a year we have something a bit different and you lot are belly aching on like its the end of the world - lighten up - most of the stalls are so flimsy they could be cleared in seconds if there was an emergency. The deli has looked pretty active every time I've been in and is going to have to weather the winter, so a few paella and cheese stalls are a passing squall. And who really gives a **** about their accounts, if thats what you are loosing sleep about then really, don't bother!
Lets face it though - who really needs a wooden Penguin, hand carved by a Romanian orphan, sold by a German and bought from a stall in Stornoway?
The parking in the town is a nightmare at the moment due to everything thats going on. I went round town 3 times yesterday loking for parking and gave up in the end so it saved me a some money that i was to spend in the local shops. The fair is in a stupid place, taking up half the main car park when we struggle for parking at the best of times!! Sure a council cud do something about this situation. The people setting up the fair think the own the place!!! Is it not time to find an alternative area for the fair!!
Why can't they take the fair and the market to the park where the circus was last year. Plenty parking for anyone who wants to buy a penguin or a 3 day old paella. They're relying on us yokels not knowing any difference from the real thing.
Who keeps doing this to the town's shops? It is obvious that it blocks their access and must be turning custom away. Why, oh why, cant the market be parked elsewhere such as the council car park or similar, away from being in direct competition with the local shops who pay through the nose with their rates. This is Stornoway and visitors should be allowed to shop unhindered for Stornoway fare and shop goods. If you want a European market then go to Europe for the real thing. Who finances this and how much are the pitches worth to the council? It just seems that the local shops are being cast to the side otherwise the stalls would not be pitched outside their entrances each time the market arrives in town.
What a shower of miserable gits you all are, always moaning about something...
Utter nonsense.
8:03: "parking is a nightmare due to everything that is going on"..... 15 - 20 years ago I questioned why I wanted to live here as there was nothing going on. Now that there is something going on the town is a much better place for it, be it the celtic festival, sail hebrides, european market, the mod or whatever. Have you thought of parking your car a little bit out of town and actually walking a few hundred meters or, perish the thought, a whole quater mile!
As for the fire engines I am sure that a solution could have been found to improve the sittuation without a point blank "Hebridean" refusal.
It would be interesting to hear what if anything the enviromental health dept is doing about bluebottle flies all over the cheese stall, dust and rain falling onto the bread stall and a dog cocking its leg on to the sausage stall. No doubt a Stornoway trader would have been closed down for such breaches of regulations.
6:07pm - Easy for you to say about accounts. Do you have £2300 pm Rates,£5700 py in refuse £9000 PAYE and £25000 in vat?
9:25pm - Absolutely!
11:19pm - Have you ever been in business?
Clever marketing -
European market - bunch of gypsies.
Hot fresh food - plate of rice with a little bit of meat on it.
Fresh baking - van full of bread that has been here since last week !
stalls that can be moved really quick- Big woks of rice that can't.
Fresh seafood - Prawnee's, crab stick in the shape of a prawn with garlic.
Helping the economy - sleep in back of van.
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There, thats better.Publish and be Dammed, Angus!
@1:55
Bobby?
Green?
Bryan?
European Market = good idea, good initiative, welcome addition to the town. But, filled with tat (and not even European tat!) and not my cup of tea.
The bigger problem is that the town is a mess with all the building work going on, and the market is just compounding the shambles.
European Market = overpriced unhygenic, and removing custom from local businesses. Of course the council are going to support it, it ticks all their boxes!!!
Having read the comment re the market; I wonder how many of the posters have been there?
No shop entrances are blocked, the town centre is busier than it has been for in a long time. The additional footfall should be converting to extra sales in the shops. If it is npt, then perhaps the shops owners need to be looking at what they are providing, or not?
For once, Stornoway town centre was busy last Monday - not only the market but also a cruise ship load of visitors in town. So most of the Stornoway shops stayed shut for a bank holiday that not even the banks observe. Thanks goodness for a bit of colour and competition that brings people beyond the Co-op and Tesco.
9:25 that is an easy question to answer - the town shops keep doing it to themselves! if they would join in and bring a little fun to the town centre they would have no problem attracting people - there was a special offer or two that not many people missed in some of the bigger shops and one or two of the little ones are begining to get the message.
Quality is a big problem at the moment (which is why there shold be no problem attracting people - IF your shop has better quality)
Anyone who buys paella or indeed buns after the first day is a fool (whether that paella is sold in spain, covent garden or elsewhere)
The real problem is that the Town Hall is now shut off for such frolics and gaities.
SOME of the products are well worth it... sadly a lot at the moment are not!
May I recomend the CInnamon bowl seller and the Transilvanian glass particularly a signed clock or mirror (if you like those sorts of things)
7:42 Yes the flies were a problem - and probably the reason no-one bought anything but bread from that stall.
As for that dog, I was told by someone from that stall that that dog is being lead past there four times EVERYDAY by a STORNOWAY woman who is allowing (nay, ENCOURAGING her collie to do that!) she is claiming she always does that(!) I've never noticed - have you? and that her dog is so popular that there would be an outcry if they even informed the police! and you wonder why the town of Stornoway is dying (except for once a year when the european market comes round!)
The Gazette getting nippy LazyC??
All it's good for is turning yesterdays press release into tomorrows fish wrapper.
Is it true Donnie Gazette left the paper to go into journalism?
The Stornoway Gazette never allows News to intrude into the bland reprinting of utter rubbish.
When was the last time it investigated a story, rather than just printed what it was given?
Firstly on the EU Market I tend to think it is outrageous to have it tight against premises of businesses that pay rates 365 days per year. Car parking space also limited so not helped when space taken by a cr*p fairground, move somewhere similar to Engies where it was many years ago.
Interesting tho is the notion that the Gazette would hold back not not report a story on behalf CNES. The Hearach De' Tha Dol published 2 letters at the time of the St. Kilda Centre farce expressing outrage at the decision. They were from Norman Gillies the only living St. Kildan and a group of 1st generation descendants. These letters were passed to Gazette by Cllr Munro and they did nothing to cover it, the family of the 2nd letter then got in touch with Gazette and again nothing (Despite getting told they would cover the story). This is now a nothing story but at the time these letters were very valid to the debate.
This is clear evidence of the Gazette's failure to get off their arse and do any kind of journalism but worse to cover up the news for people they favour. It does make you think who has the power to suppress the Gazette. I doubt v.v.much that any journalist has this authority, in fact the only one at Gazette with this power is the Editor!
Anyone got expensive, stale, week old bread? My supply has dried up since the market left.
Wonder what the next scheme this esteemed gentleman is going to come up with to take more money away from the island
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