Council to put city's major markets under the spotlight
Date published: 18 May 2016
Stallholders, traders and residents will be asked to put forward ideas to revitalise Townsville’s community markets as part of a city council review.
Governance and Finance Committee chair Cr Verena Coombe said the review would seek broad community feedback to maximise the attraction and appeal of the city’s markets as tourism and lifestyle drawcards.
“Our main objective is to develop the markets in a way that provides a quality experience for visitors and residents, supports our retailers and promotes tourism in the city,” Cr Coombe said.
“It has been more than seven years since the council had a hard look at the management and operation of our larger markets and in that time the number has grown to more than 15 across the city.
“There is a growing view that it’s a good time to engage the community and stakeholders to ensure the markets, particularly our flagship events like Cotters Markets, are meeting the current needs of the city.
“The council plans to consult widely on the city’s markets, looking at timing and coordination, the types of goods for sale, and potential impacts on local retailers and residents.
“Markets are a great way to activate areas and build vibrancy in our community, and we need to make sure that they’re being managed in a sustainable way.”
Council outsourced the management and operation of the major city markets to the Rotary in 2009.
The agreement with Rotary has been extended to the end of the year to allow the review to occur.
Council’s Governance and Finance Committee backed a staff recommendation to undertake the markets review.
The committee’s recommendation will go to a meeting of full council for adoption on May 24.
