Traders and authorities at Western International wholesale market have reached a “deadlock” in a standoff over unsanitary conditions.
Fresh produce wholesalers on the market are demanding extra covering for produce which is set to be battered by heavy rain, gale-force winds and snow over the next few weeks.
During the long-running dispute over who should pay for cover of the produce, traders have put temporary sheets and cardboard over produce exposed to the elements and according to forecasters, weather emanating from the Atlantic Ocean could be severely testing in the near future.
Western International Market Tenants' Association (WIMTA) has accused Hounslow Council, which is responsible for the market, of withholding funds which could provide the canopy needed.
But the council has insisted it remains in the red from the original development and cannot raise the funds from the traders as it would have to ask catering and flower wholesaling firms not affected by the issue to pay.
It is estimated to have uniform coverings that the council wants for aesthetic reasons could cost £1 million.
If the traders were to pay individually themselves it is estimated the options - a permanent covering or a retractable one - could cost £5,000 or £12,000-£15,000 respectively.
A move to use revenue from the Sunday retail market, which is split 50/50, to pay for the covering has been mooted but it would also penalise wholesalers not affected and is unlikely to cover the cost.
Angela Rench, head of property management at Hounslow Council, told freshinfo: “The tenants are actually overtrading and putting produce in that area. The problem is that we need all the traders to be in agreement and they’re not. The critical thing to remember is that it was a joint decision to not cover that area when the deal for the new market was struck around four years ago. We overspent on the development in the first place.”
WIMTA chairman Gill White said: "We did not realise until we got into the new market that the gantry (canopy) is not as deep as it was in the old market. We know there is money due to the landlord, London Borough of Hounslow, from the developer when the old site is sold or leased. We feel that we are banging our heads against a brick wall when we ask for support from the landlord in this matter.
“A canopy would be an asset to the site, it would not be so bad if we had not had to compromise due to lack of space in the new market, hence why we have had to utilise this outside area. Our members cannot be expected to pay for a canopy that we feel should have been included in the build - when we moved in we all had to pay for our own fit outs some tenants spending as much as £200,000."
WIMTA is currently getting quotes to discern exactly how much a continuous canopy would cost.
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