New location for Highgate market identified
Published:Wednesday | July 20, 2022 | 12:08 AMGareth Davis Sr/Gleaner Writer
HIGHGATE, St Mary:
A LOCATION for the construction of a new market in Highgate, St Mary, to replace the old structure, which was gutted by fire last Saturday, has been identified.
The new location, which was previously used as a car park, was visited by Member of Parliament for Central St Mary Dr Morais Guy and Mayor of Port Maria Richard Creary separately on Monday. The car park, which is considered to be an ideal venue, is located along Main Street in Highgate, and lies in close proximity to the razed structure.
“It is devastation for those persons who would have occupied the space,” commented Creary.
“The food vendors, the many persons who operate shops in the market, it is a serious situation for them. I will be making representation on their behalf to the minister to see if any assistance can be given to them in terms of assisting them to restart their business, as I was discussing with them, to me it is very important to restart the business, no matter how small it is.
“I also discussed with them (vendors) the possibility of cleaning out this facility, once our assessors from our insurance comes. Clean up the facility and for persons who can occupy the spaces within the market, prior to the reconstruction phase, to occupy, and as I say to restart their business. I am pretty sure the insurance will not be enough to rebuild and we would need to find the funding to reconstruct,” he added.
According to Creary, it makes no sense to reconstruct a market that resembles a shed. Instead, he said a new facility would provide them with an aesthetically pleasing and well-organised space with shops for rent. However, the Port Maria mayor pointed out that this would take a little longer time to be completed since the procurement process and design would have to be done.
More than 50 vendors, who previously occupied the Highgate market, lost stalls and a variety of goods, including items of clothing, footwear, chemicals, ground provisions, and electrical appliances, when fire gutted the building shortly before 4 a.m. on Saturday, July 16.
Meantime Guy, who made his second visit to Highgate since the fire, said that one of the challenges facing vendors is how soon they will be able to get some assistance, so as to kick-start their livelihood.
“The prime minister said on Saturday at some function that people are suffering. Yes, these people are going to suffer as well if some intervention by the State is not done,” Guy stressed.
“Ultimately, we need a new market in Highgate. This is something that has been asked for many years from many administrations. Unfortunately, the market has burned down, but it probably is, if one can term it as a blessing in disguise, so that the authorities can act much quicker,” he added.