Stand-off at Victoria Market as traders say they'll refuse to leave

CLOSING DATE IS LOOMING - BUT SOME STALLHOLDERS CLAIM CITY COUNCIL CAN'T KICK THEM OUT AND SAY SITUATION IS A SHAMBLES

- By OLIVER PRIDMORE

A STAND-off is developing at a historic Nottingham market with some of the last remaining traders saying they refuse to be thrown out by the city council.

"It’s personal now", says Stephen Taylor, who runs the general hardware store Aladdin's Cave in the Victoria Centre Market.

"My grandfather signed our lease for 100 years and it's still got 47 years left on it. When my grandfather left the business, it was still paying him a pension and when my mother stepped away from the business, it supported her until she passed away.

"My grandchildren should be able to take this on and it should be able to support me at some stage."

Nottingham City Council says it will close the Victoria Centre Market by March 31. But some of the market's last remaining traders believe the council cannot lawfully evict them and at least two traders are pursuing court action. One of them is David Bowey, who owns the watch repair shop, Tick King.

Mr Bowey said: "The council won't be able to close my shop lawfully until they give me an offer which I would agree to. They would have to close everything around us but there’s me and one other who have taken it to court already.

"There are people with licences who have been offered money. They haven't offered me anything like that because they know that they can't kick me out.