The future of Alderley Edge Farmer's Market is still up in the air as it remains unclear who the key decision maker is.
Christine Munro, who has been running the farmers' market for the past 14 years, has been wanting to move the monthly event into the centre of the village for the past 18 months.
Earlier this month she attended the Alderley Edge Parish Council meeting to request their permission for setting the market stalls up on the pavement outside the shops on London Road.
She was told that she did not need the PC's permission as it was up to Cheshire East, who Christine informed them at the meeting had already granted permission.
However, the following week Cheshire East Council (CEC) issued a statement saying "Permission has not been granted to hold a farmers' market on London Road" and that "in early July, the Council advised her that her proposal would not be acceptable".
Finding herself back at square one, Christine decided to pursue the matter with MP George Osborne. She wrote to him saying "In spite of this support from the local community, I am unable to proceed because Cheshire East Council is refusing to give its approval and I am unable to get anyone to take responsibility or clarify the reasons. I find myself in a Kafkaesque situation where I am repeatedly being referred from one official to another and then back to the first and then finally I am being told that officials have been told not to help me."
Christine, who is aged 75 and was born and brought up in the village, told me "You will be aware that, at the September Parish Council Meeting, I reported that I had met all the requirements laid down by Cheshire East to hold the Farmers' Market in Alderley Edge and now wanted to ensure that the PC had no objections. Councillors present advised me that I had no need of PC approval and wished me well. You will also be aware that subsequent to the meeting CE issued a press release stating that I was mistaken and that CE did not approve of the Farmers' Market.
"Given that I had unanimous support from Alderley Edge traders and had received encouraging messages from many other local people, and despairing of making any sense of all this, I contacted our MP, George Osborne and Michael Jones, the leader of Cheshire East Council. Cllr Jones called me to confirm that CE has no objection to the market (in fact he went further and said it was just the kind of thing they wanted to encourage) and has urged me to go ahead with it."
Speaking with Michael Jones this week he told me "As far as I am concerned if the market is not using any Cheshire East land and if there are no highways implications then we would not be in a position to object - it would not be an issue.
"We still need to give approval for all markets and we support farmers' markets, but this is a Parish Council issue and we would not go against them. It's localism.
"We like to have markets where local people want them and where they are supported by the locally elected people. Cheshire East always supports farmers' markets, remember we are one of the biggest farm owners in Cheshire, we have 90 farms."
Cllr Jones added "As far as I'm concerned Cheshire East Council supports farmers' markets as long as the parish and town councils do and there are no highways or safeguarding issues which Christine has told me there are not."
When the subject of moving the farmers' market has been raised at Parish Council meetings, parish councillors have said that it is not their decision but up to CEC to grant permission. Now Councillor Jones is saying the opposite, and that it is up to the Parish Council to support the move of the monthly market to the pavement on London Road and if they do so then CEC would not object.
I contacted Matthew Lloyd, Chairman of AEPC, regarding this latest development because, whilst the Parish Council wished her well, they didn't actually give Christine permission to move the market - saying this wasn't necessary as permission had already been granted by Cheshire East.
Cllr Lloyd has no comment to make at this stage, until he had discussed the issue with Diane Smith, Town Centres Manager at CEC.
Christine Munro is hoping to hold the next Alderley Edge Farmer's Market on London Road on Sunday 13th October.
Christine added "I feel like I am in the middle of stupid bureaucracy and cannot get anywhere. I definitely need something in writing from Michael Jones supporting the market and saying that the statement issued by CEC previously is not correct as I am organising a farmers' market for October 13th.
"I have started contacting suppliers. I have been contacting people I really like and who offer something a bit different, as there are so many markets out there, and there will also be some of our regulars who have been with me for 14 years. I already have 21 stalls booked in."
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Comments
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Why can the artisan market in Wilmslow happen every month but not Alderley Edge Farmer's market?
I will be walking Sheba (the not so little Black lab Guide dog puppy) down