Closing market after 40 years ‘will devastate us’

Stallholders say they will be devastated if a market closes after nearly 40 years.

The owners of Skirlington Market, near Skipsea, East Yorkshire, have announced the site will shut to make way for an extension to a holiday park.

Dermot King, the chief operating officer at Unity Holidays, which bought the land last year, said the decision had not been “taken lightly”.

Gary Piggott, who runs a cake stall, said the news was “a bit overwhelming”.

Mr Piggott, from York, has run his Totally Caked stall for the past two years.

He said Unity had “ripped the heart out of a massive community”.

“There are people who have been there since day one.

“It’s one big family, one big community, and for these guys to come in and just take that away from us, it’s shocking.”

Speaking on BBC Radio Humberside, Mr Piggott said many of the traders had spent thousands of pounds on their units.

“They haven’t just got stalls, they have built-in units that they literally just cannot up and move.

“Once that market goes, their living goes.”

Unity Holidays has submitted plans to East Riding of Yorkshire Council to redevelop the site with a swimming pool and sun deck.

Mr King acknowledged asking the market to vacate would “disappoint both the operators and their customers”.

He added: “Skirlington Coast is a family holiday park and we feel the land is better used to offer more to our owners and holidaymakers.”

The plans would lead to more employment and “support more local businesses”, Mr King said.

Zoe Williams has helped run a cafe on the site for about 38 years.

She took over the business from her sister-in-law eight years ago and has recently invested in new seating and other equipment.

“If the market closes it’ll hit me hard financially,” she said.

“It will destroy all the other local businesses which have been thriving over the years because of the thousands of visitors per week.

“I hope they can rethink this. Let us be part of their plans and all work together on this.”

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