There's still life left in Victoria Centre Market as council says there's 'no fixed date' for closure
Last December the council confirmed that the market would close this summer, but not much has been said since
The future of the Victoria Centre Market remains unclear, despite Nottingham City Council previously saying that it would close this summer.
Last December, the city council confirmed that the once-bustling market would close for good after several years of decline.
At the time, it was confirmed that existing traders could stay until the summer but no new stalls would be opened.
Although the market remains open, with existing businesses still trading, its future remains uncertain as the proposed closing period looms.
What date will the market close?
Earlier this week, a city council spokesperson told Nottingham World that the market is set to close “later this year”.
The spokesperson added that there “isn’t a fixed date at this point”.
After opening in 1972, the market became a key part of Nottingham’s shopping scene and had more than 200 stalls at its peak.
However, it suffered a sharp decline over the past decade, with the council having to subsidise its operations for several years.
Last December Pavlos Kotsonis, the council’s former portfolio holder for leisure and culture, said: “We understand how difficult the past year has been for stallholders and are sorry that it has taken so long to provide more clarity on the situation.
“Budgetary factors and internal discussions have undoubtedly delayed the decision-making process, and we would have liked to be able to update traders before now.
“In its heyday, Victoria Market was a busy, popular venue but sadly it has been under-used for years.
“There is an ever-decreasing number of loyal customers who retain great affection for it, but, more widely, people's shopping habits have changed.
“This is a national trend, not unique to Nottingham, and the effect of the pandemic has been significant in that.
“However, increased service charges meant the council has had to subsidise its operation for many years, on top of a number of traders falling into rent arrears.”
Since plans to close the market were confirmed last December, the council’s portfolio holder for carbon reduction, leisure and culture has changed from Mr Kotsonis to Sam Lux.
At this stage it remains unclear as to whether the city council’s new leader Neghat Khan will have any bearing on the future of the market.