A NUMBER OF markets in Dublin’s Liberties have been told to vacate their premises in Newmarket Square by 12 June.
The owner of numerous properties in the Newmarket Square area issued the notice to the Dublin Flea Market, The Brocante, Fusion Sundays, Newmarket Collective and The Pure Vintage Fair in recent days.
The Green Door Market has also been told by the owners of Newmarket Square to vacate the space next month.
Last year, plans were submitted by Robin Simpson and Martin Creedon’s firm the Newmarket Partnership that proposed wholesale changes to the historic quarter of Dublin’s Liberties.
A number of old structures would be demolished to make way for several new buildings, including offices, a hotel, apartments and a micro-brewery.
Ahead of the commencement of works to level parts of Newmarket Square, the developers have written to market organisers to inform them they will no longer be allowed to trade in the area from 12 June.
Nadia Cassidy, the organiser of the Fusion Sundays market, said the requirement to vacate the area has been issued at “short notice”.
She said that markets in the area hoped they could continue to trade in the space for at least another year.
Market organisers previously told Fora they were hopeful of doing a deal with the Newmarket Partnership to stay in the area.
“It has been quite difficult to talk to the property owners. They’re not easy to talk to. They have their own agenda. We now need to try to find new home, we’ve no other choice,” Cassidy told Fora.
“The owners do have future market space in mind as part of the redevelopment of Newmarket Square, but we need something now and can’t wait until it’s built. Also we’re not sure if the new space will work. The area set aside for markets is quite small.”
She added that several markets have teamed up to find a new location in Dublin to host their monthly gatherings.
Moving out
Christie Stapleton, organiser of The Green Door Market, said there was an understanding with the property owners that his market would move on when the time came to redevelop the area.
The Green Door Market, a farmer’s and food market, is located in an 8,000 sq ft space that is also used by a number of other markets, including Fusion Sundays, as trading premises.
Stapleton said they have looked for a new space for their market since plans for redeveloping the area were first floated last year, but no new home has been found yet.
“We’re looking for something similar size wise, but finding a site close to city centre is difficult. We are stretching south to find somewhere but also want to stay as close to Newmarket as possible,” Stapleton told Fora.
“I think this situation should put pressure on the likes of the Iveagh Market, which has been unused for so long, to be opened up. Even if it’s not us, I just want to see spaces like that used.”
He added that the market will trade from its current location six days a week up to 12 June and is confident a new location will be secured before that deadline.
It is understood the Dublin Food Co-op, located on Newmarket Square, is also looking for a new premises as a result of forthcoming demolition works.
The organisation was contacted by Fora but no one was available for comment at the time of publication. The Newmarket Partnership was also contacted for comment.
Needs development
The plans for the redevelopment of Newmarket Square were lodged through three different submissions last year.
When plans were first announced, an online petition was set up anonymously and called to “save Newmarket Square from greedy developers”. It amassed over 3,000 signatories.
Last November, all applications from the Newmarket Partnership were approved by Dublin council, however one aspect of the project was appealed to An Bord Pleanála by An Taisce.
The heritage group appealed to the national planning authority in a bid to stall the project and save a number of what it has deemed “historic structures” from being levelled.
The plans for Newmarket Square come as the capital is faced with an acute housing and hotel accommodation shortages, and rapidly rising office rents fuelled by an appetite for space for growing businesses.
When the plans were announced, the developers were keen to point out how the area has “suffered significant neglect in recent decades”.
An Taisce agreed that the Newmarket Square area is in need of development, but the complete clearance of historic buildings is “unacceptable”.
A decison is still due from An Bord Pleanála on the appeal lodged by An Taisce.
Written by Killian Woods and posted on Fora.ie
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