Latest update October 14th, 2024 12:59 AM
Oct 13, 2008 News
On Friday, six vendors operating out of the Vendors Mall, located on Water Street, filed an injunction against the Mayor and City Council (M&CC). This action has effectively halted plans by the municipality to dismantle their stalls at the facility with the intent of engaging in modification of the structural setting.
Earlier this year, the municipality had outlined an enhancement plan for the mall, which would have seen it being transformed into a double-decker facility and vendors being allowed bigger stalls.
However, according to Deputy Clerk of Markets, Mr Errol Brisport, after it was recognised that the cost of works would have amounted to about $90M, and after considering the cash-strapped state of the Council, the plan was adjusted.
He disclosed that a decision was taken for vendors to independently rebuild their stalls to an extended measurement of 10 ft x 10 ft, allowing for a 10-foot passageway. He added that plans were apace for a common roof, as is customary at municipal markets.
Several meetings, he said, were held with the vendors in this regard, and it was evident that they had embraced the plan and were willing to cooperate.
And since it was observed that there would be limited accommodation as a result of the new plan, Mr Brisport said, it was decided that persons who had paid their monthly rentals in full and those who owed for less than 12 months would be given first priority. These vendors, according to the municipal officer, amounted to about 160. He noted that the facility would be able to hold just about 170 stalls.
However, it was subsequently decided by the Council that the vendors’ level of priority should be further broken down into the categories of those who pay and sell from the facility and those who pay and use the facility merely for storage.
The latter category was bestowed with secondary priority, which prompted the retaliation of the six vendors who, according to Mr Brisport, believed that their stalls would have been broken without their consent.
The six disgruntled vendors were able to secure the injunction, which has prevented the Council from taking any further action.
According to Mr Brisport, the matter is scheduled to be heard on Friday, October 17.
The Vendors Mall, formerly known as the Toolsie Persaud Mall, came into existence some years ago as part of the municipality’s efforts to reduce street vending. It initially housed about 400 vendors, who occupied 6ft x 6ft wide stalls.
However, several of those who were forced to utilise the dark and isolated back section of the mall opted to return to the streets, and started vending in other places since business had become almost non-existent in the mall.
According to Mr Brisport, at one point, an examination of the facility revealed that there were just about 80 vendors remaining.
It was related to this newspaper that the plan to revamp the facility was kicked into action by the municipality after Public Works Minister Robeson Benn began examining the possibility of using the back of the facility for a bus park.
In order to ensure that the facility remains within the control of the municipality, plans were engaged to bring back the vendors that left the facility. Currently, vendors are paying a monthly rental of $1,900.
It was anticipated that the vendors, using their own funds, would have constructed new stalls using the new proposed dimensions, a process which, according to Brisport, was expected to be completed by December.
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