An investigation needs to be carried out into moving the Lammas Market to another venue in St Andrews as traders have had enough of it.
That is the controversial view of St Andrews Merchants’ Association chairwoman Lindsay Adam.
She told The Courier many town centre businesses are fed-up of the annual disruption, noise and loss of trade caused by Europe’s oldest street fair rolling into town.
However, one of the fair’s organisers says moving it would ”be the end of it”.
The 2012 Lammas Market entered its final day on Tuesday, with thousands enjoying the rides and fairground attractions while sampling some of the stalls, including an additional continental market.
As reported by The Courier, Billy Hammond of the Showmen’s Guild has warned crippling fuel costs, dismal weather and the general poor economic climate were ”killing the business”.
He hoped the market would come out of the other end of the recession intact and continue as it had done for centuries.
However, Ms Adam, who runs Bonkers gift shop at the corner of Market Street and Church Street, said the economic climate is also having a detrimental impact on many St Andrews businesses.
And she said the last thing most need is several days of annual disruption during the market.
”The merchants’ association is doing research at the moment into how the Lammas affects residents and those businesses in the town centre,” she said.
”Most businesses will say turnover is in the negative when the market is on for various reasons. The market takes over the whole of the town centre. Local people can’t get access to shops. They can’t get parked or they simply don’t like the noise.”
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”A lot of the people who come into the town for the market are only here for the market and not interested in shopping. Some shops in South Street completely close their doors for the two days the market is on.
”As far as I’m concerned that’s not acceptable and it’s something that needs to be looked at for the future.”
She added: ”It would be a good idea to relocate it to the West Sands or Craigtoun Park. It could maybe even stay there for a few weeks each summer. I’m not saying it has to change completely, but times change and a proper investigation should be carried out.”
It is an issue that has been raised intermittently over the years, prompting fears if relocated, the market would simply cease to exist.
However, Ms Adam believes the market needs to change and it is not good enough to simply say that it should remain in the town centre because it has been there since the Middle Ages.
Jude Innes, proprietor of J&G Innes stationers in South Street, and a former chairwoman of the merchants’ association, agreed, saying: ”We definitely suffer when the market is on.”
Mr Hammond, who organises the Market Street/Church Square part of the fair, said that to move the Lammas out of the town centre would finish it.
He said: ”The Lammas has been in the centre of town for hundreds of years. It’s a chartered fair. If it ever moved, I wouldn’t come.
”The West Sands would be impractical. There’s the weather, people having to walk down and there being no atmosphere. It would be the end of the Lammas. It just wouldn’t happen any more.”
Fife Council parks and community events officer Keith Jackson said:”About three years ago we carried out a survey that concluded overwhelmingly the present location of the market was most favourable.
”The same survey showed an increase spend on businesses in St Andrews. I am happy to meet with representatives of St Andrews Merchants Association to discuss their concerns.”