Kiama Council has hit pause on a recent Expression of Interest that went out for market managers interested in obtaining licences for markets at Blowhole Point Reserve or Coronation Point.
Kiama Mayor Neil Reilly said he is inviting current Market Operators to come in and discuss their needs before we re-launch our Expression of Interest (EOI) process.
“The current EOI is based on certain valuations of the markets that Council had commissioned. However, in looking more closely at the figures, we have decided more work needs to be done to explore alternate pricing structures and methods of funding for market operators,” Cr Reilly said.
“Earlier in the year, our CEO Jane Stroud and I had committed to meeting regularly with local market operators to listen to their needs and allow them to help shape our policies around markets. We will honour that commitment,” he said.
Ms Stroud said: “We speak regularly with our market operators on an ad-hoc basis, but we’ll pause for now and seek further input from them on this issue. Together we’ll look to propose some alternate models for operating our markets that offer a more balanced outcome.”
“I’d prefer to take a bit more time to collaborate and get this right. We have received valuations, but markets are complex and dynamic businesses and it’s important we consider suitable and flexible pricing, in consultation with both community and commercial operators,” she said.
“For example, we want look at how, in the light of increasingly regular weather events, we can vary lease conditions to ensure all parties can achieve good outcomes,” said Ms Stroud.
We will update the community when we have further developments.
