RICHARD Cussons is calling for the Makers Market in Knutsford to be moved to the Princess Street car park behind Waitrose.

Mr Cussons of KPS Management, which manages property in the town centre said: “Town centre residents are rightly concerned about a host of issues, mostly related to access.

“When the Makers Market is on emergency services are unable to access the upper town centre due to the stalls being placed in Princess Street and other streets nearby, and residents of Regent Street and Silk Mill Street have no vehicular access either, which is a considerable inconvenience.

“So the obvious solution is to move the market. The obvious solution is the Princess Street car park behind Waitrose.

“This is a very large car park, and it would easily take the same number of stalls that currently exist in Princess Street.

“This would then leave Princess Street unobstructed for vehicular traffic and emergency services access.”

He added that the brick wall running along King Edward Road, adjoining this car park, could be demolished to make the car park site a more open space which could be viewed from the by-pass, attracting even more customers to a newly-sited Makers Market.

He said: “This is a really good solution to the long-running dispute between residents who are unhappy with the market, and the town council, which wants it to continue.

“This way, both parties get a good outcome, with the market continuing, but in a better location that allows access for residents and emergency services.

“The town council must take a serious look at this proposal and adopt it at an early stage when the current agreement with the business that runs the market ends.”

Town clerk Adam Keppel-Green said the council would he happy to receive any proposals regarding the market, which it would consider.