IT WILL be the end of an era in Hatherleigh next week as the final livestock auctions are held in the market.

Vicks the auctioneers are hanging up their gavel and selling the site to property developer Kingswood Homes.

But as the last livestock going under the hammer next week, work is going on behind the scenes to make sure that the popular Tuesday stall market continues.

The market which draws hundreds of people from miles around each week will be run by not-for-profit company the Ruby Country Partnership for the community from April 1. Negotiations are currently being held to secure an indoor space on the site so the market can continue even when building work starts.

The long-term plan is to build housing on the site, although this will not be for some time as the outline planning permission which Kingswood Homes secured for 105 houses on the site has now lapsed.

Charles Dumpleton, director of the partnership, said: ‘We have got to hit the ground running, because there is not going to be much time for getting things organised, and it is not as simple as it looks. The stalls are here to stay, though, with people’s support. Things will change, these are going to be challenging times, but with the support of the public, we will make it work.’

Representatives from Kingswood Homes are meeting with a working party of community representatives and town councillors to discuss the future of the Tuesday stall market next Monday.

A spokesperson said: ‘We are continuing to work closely with the town council through the working group. The next meeting is scheduled for later this month where we are looking forward to discussing potential options and a vision for the future of the Tuesday market.’

The last auction held by Vicks will be a machinery sale on Saturday, February 24, with the final sheep sale on Monday, February 19, and cattle sale on Thursday, February 22. The final fur and feather auction, for the time being, takes place on Tuesday. It is understood, though, that this operation has a new owner, and that there are plans to revive the auctions once the Tuesday stallholders’ market has a new home. During March, the poultry auction will find a new home in the old NatWest bank building in the town.

‘We are working at it now to make sure it is all sorted,’ said Mr Dumpleton. ‘I’m a lot more hopeful than I was a week ago – things are moving in the right direction.’

During March, the Tuesday stall market will continue in its current location.

Mayor of Hatherleigh Clare Tyson said the market, which offers local produce, bric-a-brac, vintage clothes and fresh flowers and fresh fish from north Devon was too valuable an asset to the town to lose.

‘It is a social meeting place, which is so important because we are a rural area and many of us work from home,’ she said. ‘You may not see anyone from one day to the next throughout the week, but you know if you go down to the market, you are guaranteed to bump into people to chat to and have a coffee with.

‘It is just a proper rural market, there’s no airs and graces. You turn up and buy your produce or sell your produce. People sell things they’ve grown or made.

‘I spoke to Kingswood Homes the other day, and they are very keen for the market to continue because they see it as an asset for selling their houses. It is all very positive. We’re determined for the transition to be as smooth as possible, and we hope that things will just fall into place.’

Hatherleigh West Devon Borough councillor Patrick Kimber added: ‘We are doing all we can to make sure the market continues. There are lots of old farmers who come to Hatherleigh market to chat and meet their friends. People around here, who have lived in the country all their lives, are used to going hunting and to livestock markets. If you take those things away there are not many places for them to meet at all. This is one of the few places where they still can.

‘We really want it to continue.’

Lancashire-based Kingswood Homes is expected to apply to West Devon Borough Council in the near future for planning permission to build 120 homes, a neighbourhood supermarket, light industrial units and a car park on the site. An earlier outline planning permission for 105 homes and the other facilities, granted by West Devon Borough Council has lapsed.

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