Angry traders hit back over eviction plan at Victorian Market in Inverness
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Highland Council officers have told 14 traders of plans to give them notice to quit early next year to enable an ambitious refurbishment of the building.
They would be granted compensation based on six months’ rent, or financial equivalent, and would need to reapply for a new unit when the work – expected to take 10 months – is completed.
But the proposals, which will be discussed by city councillors on Thursday, have been greeted with anger and a prompted an online petition which was signed by more than 1000 supporters in less than 24 hours of it being launched.
Kasia Pogo, owner of Saffron Oriental Food Shop, is among the affected traders. Although she acknowledged the need for renovations, she said the compensation would not cover the rent for alternative city centre premises.
“We need to change but that doesn’t mean putting 14 families out of business and making them bankrupt,” declared Miss Pogo who has been based in the market for 13 years.
“It is absolutely ridiculous. These are 14 small local businesses which have started from scratch.”
She estimated under the proposals, she would receive about £3000.
“It is absolutely nothing – I will never be able to afford anything in town,” she said.
“After the refurbishment is done, there is no guarantee we will be back in the market.”
David Haas, the council’s city manager, said the business plan for the refurbishment had yet to be agreed by councillors and was the result of two years of ongoing engagement, including one-to-one consultations, with affected businesses.
“The reality is we cannot undertake these transformational changes to give the Victorian Market the future it deserves and which Inverness deserves without having to remove the existing tenants from that area,” he said.
He understood their concerns and said the council was trying to minimise the disruption which would not affect traders in the Queensgate and Market Arcade.
