Well Street was cheering this week as Hackney Council began painting the lines for a new parking scheme for the area.

“Well Street Traders and Residents Association (WESTRA) has been in talks with Hackney Council for the past few months to improve the parking situation. At last they have come up with a scheme which we support which will bring hope and more customers to our businesses – it is a key to the future of the market,” said WESTRA Secretary Ian Rathbone.

“And we are particularly pleased that 8 pitches at the top of the street have been designated for market stalls. We aim to get them filled as soon as possible! If anyone is interested in running a stall, please contact us as we are keen to get the market growing again.” WESTRA can be contacted on 07890 654 068 or at info@wellstreetmarket.co.uk .

Jo Price, Co-Chair of WESTRA, added: “We are grateful to the Hackney Gazette for its support for our campaign against the ‘Well Street car park’ caused by uncaring people parking all day in the long street, preventing customers getting to the shops. Now we look forward to seeing more people using our great street. Well Street is getting well!”

Next meeting of WESTRA is on May 17 at 6.30pm at TJs Salon, 198 Well St, E9.

Details are:

• 2 hour max parking @ £1 an hour – stops all-day parking
• Parking restrictions Monday to Friday 8.30am to 5pm
• Space for 8 market stalls at top of the street
• Unloading facilities for butchers and flower shops
• Works start in April. Parking Zone starts in May
• Call 020 8356 8877 or go to 2 Hillman St, E8 1FB or

  http://www.hackney.gov.uk/ek-residents-permits for permits

The next meeting of WESTRA is on Wednesday April 4, 6.30pm, TJs Salon, 198 Well Street

· Improving Well Street Shop Fronts project – reportback

· Tesco – how do we deal with them?

· Parking during the Olympic Games

· Diamond Jubilee Festival Fete

Parking Improvements

WESTRA has been in talks with Hackney Council for the past few months to improve the parking situation. At last they have come up with a scheme which we support:

· 2 hour max parking @ £1 an hour – stops all-day parking

· Parking restrictions Monday to Friday 8.30am to 5pm

· Space for 8 market stalls at top of the street

· Unloading facilities for butchers and flower shops

· Works start in April. Parking Zone starts in May

· Call 020 8356 8877 or go to 2 Hillman St, E8 1|FB

or www.hackney.gov.uk/ek-residents-permits.

You can download a poster about the next meeting to put in your window here.

IF YOU have ideas on how we can improve the street please come and share with everyone. For further information, please contact WESTRA Secretary Ian Rathbone on 07890 654 068. We are also on Facebook and the internet.

Well Street Traders and Residents Association (WESTRA)

on Facebook and website www.wellstreetmarket.co.uk

Ian Rathbone 07890 654 068 also email: ian.rathbone@tiscali.co.uk

Statement from WESTRA (Well Street Traders and Residents Assn) on Hackney Gazette article on page 9 of the March 15 edition:

WE want to make it very clear this story is inaccurate. We do not blame the Hackney Gazette but rather a misleading person who falsely posed as someone from our committee, who was not a Hackney resident or a trader.

We want to reassure traders in the street and customers, particularly those who believe in and support small and independent retailers that WESTRA is not working with Tesco as the story says.

There are a lot of negative feelings about Tesco in the area of Well Street and how it operates towards smaller shops and its history regarding the decline of the market.

We will be discussing this whole situation regarding Tesco and its role in Well Street at our next meeting on March 27 at 6.30pm at TJs salon 198 Well St.

In the Gazette article, Tony Fletcher, Tesco Corporate Affairs manager says: “We’re very interested in seeing how we can help. It’s in everybody’s interest to see what can be done to rejuvenate the market.”

We will be challenging him when we speak to him on Tuesday March 20 if their money really is where their mouth is and asking them what are their financial proposals for helping Well Street. And asking Mr Fletcher why his store keeps undercutting our shops when he says he wants to help the market.

A classic example of how Tesco undercut and destroy local small shops is the way this weekend they tried to undercut the only flowershop in Well Street market with a huge display and large volume of flowers in their shop.

The Gazette story also included the false claim that we are encouraging ‘schoolchildren to sell goods from a stall’ which is appallingly described as ‘barrow boys academy’. We are not and never would do – it’s illegal to do so. You have to be an adult to trade at any stall.

If you have ideas on how we can improve the street please come to the meeting on March 27 and share with everyone. For further information, please contact WESTRA Secretary Ian Rathbone on 07890 654 068.

Well Street Traders and Residents Association (WESTRA) has had several meetings with Hackney Council about parking problems in the street.

The Council has now agreed to put up a temporary parking restriction sign so that Mr Yaqoob can trade in the pitch that he’s been using for years at the top of the street, by the corner with Valentine Road.

He’s got his latest Spring fashions for those interested

The cars parking in his pitch were preventing him from putting out his stall on Fridays and Saturdays.

“Mr Yaqoob is our main market trader in the street and we’re pleased that once again he can continue to trade. We’ve also been talking with the Council about introducing parking restrictions in Well Street which will allow other stalls to pitch,” said Ian Rathbone, WESTRA Secretary.

“If anyone is interested in running a stall, please contact us as we are keen to get the market growing again.”

You can contact WESTRA on the phone on 07890 654 068 or by email at info@wellstreetmarket.co.uk

The proposed Olympic parking zone for the Well Street area has been announced. Details have now been released (scroll down for information meetings – there’s one this Tuesday):
The temporary parking protection area (for the details see the Hackney Parking Plan Map) will operate Monday – Sunday, 8am to 9pm between 21 June and 9 September 2012.
Existing parking zones within the area will have their days and times extended between the following dates: Continue reading »

Continue reading »