Not so long ago Holbeach market was some three times as big as it is now, including a second greengrocer on Church Street.
There is quite sufficient room for expansion. A couple of traders want to see if they will do better on the car park, footfall on the market has certainly reached close to rock bottom.
A two-month trial has been reluctantly agreed, they may even be right. Time will tell but this has been tried before elsewhere and failed.
Is this best for the town? Certainly not. It will move our centre to Tesco, the principal cause of the demise of our High Street.
I do not recall any serious attempts to “promote” Holbeach Market during the 30 plus years I have traded there, other than a few rent free weeks to try and get more traders.
What we need is a wider range of shops, who could be excused rates and given a reasonable deal by landlords for maybe a year to get them started. No more fast food outlets, estate agents or hairdressers. (Those who’re here already should stay of course). Empty shops need to be smartened up and filled, the town needs publicity, more annual events that include the town centre and better facilities.
An Aldi or similar store would help too. Spalding seems to get everything, Holbeach is ignored.
When South Holland District Council gets its cash from the new housing developments I look to see most of it spent here, not put into the SHDC pot.
The infrastructure of our town will be severely strained by some 3,000 extra residents and maybe 2,500 extra vehicles on our roads.
The parish council does its best but the fact it was not even consulted about the market move before a decision was made indicates the contempt in which SHDC appears to hold it.
We have removed the flood hazard by the car park gate to Carter’s Park, will soon put up an improved fence in Park Road and are co-operating in attempts to upgrade the football club buildings. All done on a shoestring and in spite of SHDC cutting their support grant. New smaller allotments are well taken up.
Holbeach in Bloom does super work as do the Christmas lighting people, but we can only achieve so much without help from district.
The new roundabout and commercial development at Peppermint Junction may help but will not alone revitalise our town centre.
Holbeach is the second largest town in South Holland and continues to grow rapidly. It’s for all of us to work together to make it, as it changes, a great place to live.
SHDC needs to do its share too.
Paul Foyster
Holbeach Parish and South Holland District councils
