Taupo District Council has confirmed the Taupo Market can continue operations from its current location at Riverside Park after approving a variation to the market’s licence to occupy until the end of the year.
Previously the market had a licence to occupy an 8,200m² area of lower Riverside Park, away from Tongariro and Redoubt streets. In recent years, the market expanded and began occupying the top of Riverside Park.
Acting Mayor Rosie Harvey said the decision made at the council’s Fencing, Roading, Reserves and Dogs Committee meeting last week confirmed what was already happening at Riverside Park. There had been many months of negotiations between the council and the owners of the market about a suitable long-term location, and a recommendation the permanent location be Northcroft Reserve, but a consensus could not be reached.
"The current operators requested that Council simply amend their current licence to legitimise their operations at the top of Riverside Park as the original licence was for the bottom area. They also requested that all other terms of the current licence continue, including the expiry date of 31 December this year," she said.
Taupo District Council was "absolutely committed to ensuring Taupo retained a successful market" and later in the year would consider future options which could include seeking expressions of interest from anyone interested in operating a weekly market on council land.
At that stage, the current operators and any other interested parties would be invited to submit a proposal on what they intended to provide, and on what commercial terms.
"We want to ensure the community gets the best possible market in the best possible location, and once again we stress that we clearly understand how important the Taupo Market is to the community," said Rosie.
The licence has also been altered to better reflect the market’s hours of operation, with a change from 7am to 2pm to 6am to 3pm. This includes time for vendors to set up and pack down.
The variation to the licence will take effect once the documentation has been signed by the market owners.
Source: Voxy.co.nz
