Kingston upon Thames' Ancient Market Place will remain closed until Sunday 18 October after an inspection identified further safety concerns following a fire that destroyed several stalls.
The blaze, which started in the early hours of Tuesday morning, was thought to have been caused by a fridge with an electrical fault. Eight people were evacuated from properties, and a range of stalls in the 800-year-old square were completely destroyed.
Kingston Council announced the market would be shuttered until after next weekend, with the shutdown having started on Saturday, amounting to a nine-day closure.
Further safety concerns identified
In a statement, the council said a “number of further safety concerns have been identified” following an inspection on Friday. The market will be closed until after next weekend to “allow remedial works to take place, and enable preparations for the upcoming demolition of damaged stalls and clean up of the area”.
The local authority said the decision had “not been taken lightly” but said the works were “essential” for public safety.
Andreas Kirsch, leader of Kingston Council, said: “We understand how hard this is for traders but the safety of everyone who uses the market is our priority and we will take every precaution necessary.
“We’ve taken the responsible decision to close the market to protect traders and the public. This gives us time to address the additional safety issues at the same time as removing the damaged stalls and beginning clean up of the area.
“We're working with the market operator to support traders. Of course, they won't pay pitch fees while the market is closed and we're urgently working to find temporary locations for those whose stalls were destroyed by the fire.
“We’re working as hard as we can to get the market open again safely as soon as possible.”
Support for traders and fire investigation
Council officers confirmed that options were being worked through with the market operator Between The Bridges to “help mitigate the loss of earnings for traders”. While all market stalls will be closed until after Sunday, businesses around the perimeter of the market unaffected by the fire will be open as normal.
The fire has been declared as “accidental” by the London Fire Brigade and a Metropolitan Police investigation found no suspicious circumstances. At least 25 firefighters fought the flames at about 4.30am on Tuesday, with the fire lasting at least an hour-and-a-half.
Colin, who works as a salon partner at Toni & Guy Kingston, lives above the salon on Market Place. He told The Standard last week that he was woken by the flames in the early hours. He said: “We were woken up by the heat and the sound of the fire. We could just see an orange glow around the curtains”.
A market has been located in Kingston for centuries, with the oldest surviving records dating back to the early 1200s. Before the fire, the Ancient Market Place was home to more than 25 permanent stalls and traded seven days a week, from 10am to 5pm. Its retailers included a fishmongers, greengrocers, florist, an artisan bakery and a number of food stalls.
In January, Between the Bridges submitted plans to Kingston Council for a major revamp of the market, including replacement stalls, a central piazza, restaurant, bar and roof terrace. A decision on the proposals is yet to be made.
