GRAYSHOTT’S suspended market could return – provided retailers in the village are consulted and encouraged to participate, a public meeting heard this week.

Grayshott Parish Council held the meeting for residents to discuss the future of the monthly markets, on Tuesday night. And traders were warned if they failed to overcome the objections, its cancellation would cost them business in the end.

Chaired by John Frankcom, fellow councillors Jon Jackson and Chris Jones attended along with parish clerk Laura Musco, who had already held a meeting with some local traders.

Earlier this year, the parish council received a petition to cancel the market, signed by several retailers, which they say, they could not ignore and which led to the suspension of the market licence.

Mr Frankcom clarified that the suspension did not mean the end of the monthly market, but that it could become a regular village feature again. He appealed for new people to come forward, who want to bring back the market – which has been sorely missed by its regular visitors – and who can strike up a relationship with local retailers.

Residents at the meeting felt the footfall was one of the most important aspects of the monthly market, as it brought between 600 to 1,200 people into the village, brought the square to life and created a vibrant, social environment, which should have added to the potential local trade.

Mr Jones suggested in order to bring the market back, it must involve all retailers in the area – and suggested a chamber of commerce or trading board should be created first before the proposals were taken further.

“No market will succeed if it does not have the support from the local traders,” he said. “The community aspect should be added on and not be in the forefront. It has to be planned better.”

Doug Holman, who has been a Grayshott resident for 30 years, felt it was a big mistake to cancel the market and claimed it did not create problems which could not have been solved with some goodwill on both sides.

He said the market was not just desirable but was “essential” and the best way to bring new people into the village. There is an emerging trend for people to shop in markets, to get a way from big companies, go to individual local shops,” he claimed.

“Small is beautiful and it should encourage more small businesses to thrive.

“Retailers are driven by fear of change – unless you identify and fix the problem before starting the market again – the problems will still be there.

“There is some very good scope for improvement - Grayshott market has to find its own niche in the community and among the local traders. It cannot be a copy of other markets, it has to be unique to the village – which takes time.

“To make it a success you have to set out what you want to achieve and persist to make it work. Do not allow people to fall out with each other - that will bring the whole village down.

“You have got to be ready to adapt, measure performance and create a reason to bring people into the village more often than just on market day. Grayshott should, and would, become a destination, and if it does not have a market – the people who will suffer the most long term are the retailers.

“A chamber of commerce or trading board is a really good idea, but don’t dismiss the input from people outside the sector – they can often come up with solutions to a problem.”

Residents at the meeting agreed the village square would be the best location to host a market, which should be held once a month between May and December, and that here should be a mixture of products for sale – not just food.

The preferred day was Saturday, however some traders had hinted at an earlier meeting with the parish council they would take a stall or be open on a Sunday.

Mr Frankcom added: “We don’t want to look back – we want to find out how to go forward.

“Perhaps we should look at other markets and see how they do it. Local businesses can have a place within the market. We never produced a visual board to advertise shops for visitors and used the market as a guide for the whole village.

“The market was not as firmly attached to the business community as it could and should have been – retailers felt it had been dumped on them.

“We recognise it needs to be joined up better because it was not and we need to understand how other markets work. We are looking for people with this kind of experience to come forward.

“There will be a lot more retail interests coming to Grayshott through the plans at Applegarth in the near future. The market should be the calling card of the village to draw people in and show them what else there is on offer.”