Damage to Victoria Square’s outfield is obvious on market day. Photo: Mary Anne Gill.
The organisation behind the weekly Cambridge Farmers’ Market will pay commercial rates for holding its event on Victoria Square after revelations it is no longer a charitable trust.
Waipā District Council has reversed an earlier decision to charge the market $357 a year – roughly $7 per week – and will instead extend the lease based on a commercial rate.
That means the Hamilton and Cambridge Farmers Market will pay $285 a day, or $14,820 annually based on 52 markets a year. The organisation already pays Hamilton City Council commercial rates – believed to be several thousand dollars – to use The Barn at Claudelands Events Centre every Sunday.
The council faces a hefty repair bill next month for repairs to the Victoria Square outfield – caused by heavy foot traffic and record rainfall – used by both the market and in summer the Cambridge Cricket Club.
It comes less than two years after the council spent $2750 to reinstate the south-eastern part of the square.
The change in the market’s lease came after the council placed a newspaper advertisement seeking to extend the lease by five years with two rights of renewal for five years each.
The rate would have continued at $357 a year but The News alerted the council to the disparity between the lease rates in Cambridge and Hamilton.
David Varcoe
Waipā property manager David Varcoe said the council had been unaware the market was no longer a charitable trust.
“It’s now being treated as a commercial entity and fees and charges are being applied on that basis,” he said.
“We have offered to extend the lease based on a commercial rate of $285 per day, as per council’s Fees and Charges schedule. We are still to hear back from (them).”
The News has also contacted market organisers, but they did not respond within our deadline.
Meanwhile council reserves staff will have to sow affected outfield areas next month.
Simon Dodds mowing the Town Square wicket. Photo: Mary Anne Gill
The market will need to leave that part of the site for around five weeks while the grass reestablishes, said Parks Operations team leader Matt Johnston.
“The Farmers’ Market has been asked to vary their location around the square to prevent surface erosion,” he said.
Stallholders at last Saturday’s market were more spread out than in recent weeks.
Cricket club spokesperson Simon Dodds said the outfield at both southern entrances to the square were a mess and needed to be fixed before the season starts on Labour Weekend.
The club leases the square for “about $700” a year. It paid $60,000 to resew the cricket wicket last year but is not responsible for outfield repairs.
Dodds conceded there were “rough” patches in the outfield which caused fielders some concern when they altered the direction of a cricket ball.
Looking towards the south eastern corner of Victoria Square.
