Traders at Nottingham's "best market" have been left frustrated because they will temporarily have to move their stalls to a car park while "essential tram works" are carried out. Stallholders in Hyson Green put up their stands near the Asda store in Radford Road twice a week, greeting customers with an array of products on offer.
But in the heart of Hyson Green, it will mean market traders will have to relocate to the grounds of the Asda car park for a period. Nottingham City Council officials said they'd been doing all they can to mitigate the impact of the works. "But they were taking away our business. We are not able to work without our market. This is the best market in Nottingham. Surely something could be arranged to let us run it for the next two weeks as normal. People have come here for years. I am not sure whether they will want to go to the car park instead.
"Now we are being moved to the Asda car park," he said. "It is better than closing it all together. I have four children and a dog. That would be my wage for two weeks, which is not fair. And it is letting customers down." The 35-year-old added: "I have been doing this since I left school. It is a pretty busy market, customers go in and out. Missing two weeks would have put us in a very difficult position. We do not know what it is going to be like."
Any road diversions in place will be clearly signposted. Speaking previously, Trevor Stocker, NET head of operations, said: “The work has been scheduled for what is traditionally one of the quietest times of the year for the network, but we would like to apologise in advance for any inconvenience and thank both customers and the local community for their patience and understanding."