Historic dock market will reopen after court ruling

Jun 29 2007 by Liza Williams, Liverpool Daily Post

LIVERPOOL’S historic Stanley Dock market will be open for business on Sunday after operators won an injunction to remove security guards from the site.

Owner Kitgrove closed down the market on Tuesday, placing a security firm on the land.

Yesterday, operator NW1 won an injunction at London’s High Court after an hour-long hearing.

NW1 insisted the action was against the law and has been preparing the legal action.

Kitgrove’s action follows several Trading Standards raids on the market which uncovered millions of pounds of counterfeit goods.

Both operators and owners received letters from Liverpool council warning them they could be prosecuted if illegal trading persisted.

Last night, NW1 managing director, Mel Reid said: “I am just glad to see that common sense has prevailed and that their bully boy tactics have been exposed.

“The security firm on site will be evicted tonight and we will get in there as soon as possible to clean up, ready for Sunday. I said we would be open on Sunday and I have kept my word.

“When the traders were told the market had closed, they were devastated. It is their livelihood. They rely on their stalls to pay the mortgage and feed their children.

“The news now has given us all a massive sense of relief.”

Mr Reid hopes he can increase interest in the market now and improve what it has to offer.

“I want to turn this negative into a positive. Maybe we can push the project forward now. I want to make it a place people come to from all over the North West. This Sunday we have a blue grass band booked and all the traders are ecstatic.

“It shows that you cannot just close us down without a fight. Liverpool needs diversity and we offer something different.”

It is also hoped a Capital of Culture-backed theatre production can be re-started, now the Stanley Dock space is open again.

When theatrical staff from Wall Talks turned up on Tuesday, they were turned away, along with people who had pre-booked tickets for the event.

Director Jen Heyes was said to be devastated the plug had been pulled. The performance by a company of 40 was written by Andrew Sherlock and asks questions about how our cultures have evolved.

Mr Reid added: “It was going to be their biggest week and they were gutted.”

Earlier in the week, Kitgrove spokesman Hugh Stallard said the market had been closed until further notice because of allegations from Liverpool City Council.

He was unavailable for comment yesterday.

LIVERPOOL bluegrass quintet The Loose Moose String Band will perform around the market’s indoor cafe and restaurant area between 10am and 3pm on Sunday.

lizawilliams