BAYSWATER city council is in danger of losing the Maylands Hawkers markets to a neighbouring council after putting off approval.
The market had completed a successful six-month trial next to The Rise but the council voted to put it on ice pending a traffic management report.
Exasperated organiser Catherine Ehrhardt says that leaves her no time to attract sponsors or ready the markets for a lucrative pre-Christmas.
Immediately following the vote she was approached by Swan city council. She has also organised a meeting with Vincent city council and has requested a sit-down with Stirling. “I need to keep my options open and have a back-up plan,” she says.
“I also want to look at expanding the markets in the future and operating on different days in different shires.
“I was really shocked the council brought up all these issues at the last minute; I did a deputation shortly before the meeting and none of these issues were broached at all.”
A Maylands Markets Facebook post on the decision reached 13,000 people and a petition calls on the council to approve the markets without a review. Cr Martin Toldo has heeded the call, lodging a motion to rescind the decision to delay. That will go before the council next month.
Meanwhile, Mayor Sylvan Albert says several groups expressed concerns about parking: “We have to try and come-up with a long-term solution,” he says.
Maylands Park manager Dominic Cuscuna complained about people parking at his shopping centre when The Rise was busy, and requested a traffic report: “Why is the city proposing to subsidise the markets to the detriment of all of the small businesses at the shopping centre who pay more than $40,000 in rates and charges?”
by STEPHEN POLLOCK
Perth Voice Interactive 
Just to clarify – the market is run by Local Arts & Community Events Inc (not-for-profit), of which Catherine Ehrhardt (me) is the current Chairman.
The back-up plan is because we have a group of people (in L.A.C.E) who believe in events like these as being a community unifier. We want to stay in Maylands, but if we aren’t ‘allowed’ to, we will find another community that will benefit from our volunteer work 🙂
Approve the markets and use that as the catalyst to sort the parking Sylvan, that’s what your voted to do. Stop pandering to your mate Dominic at the expense of the community. Can Dominic prove his business is impeded? Surely more foot traffic fed directly into his premise is a boon… Do we really want a mayor that gives up because it’s too difficult? I sure as hell don’t.
oh god in that first sentence I meant to type you’re… I’m so ashamed! mods, edit!