Pepingen (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Pepingen town council debated a regular market day. Councillor Sander Geerts supports it for community benefits, but Council leader Kristof De Cuyper expressed concerns about space, local businesses, and the existing Saturday market.
The town of Pepingen, a municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, Belgium, is discussing having a regular market day. Councillor Sander Geerts thinks this is a good idea. He said that people liked having temporary markets in the past, especially during the pandemic.
He mentioned that people enjoyed being able to buy fresh food and goods locally. Geerts believes that a regular market would make Pepingen a more lively place and help people connect and local producers. He said that both residents and market vendors want this.
Will Pepingen’s town council approve a regular market day?
The idea for a regular market in Pepingen was rejected by the town council. Councillor Geerts was upset because the council focused on the problems, like not having enough space and affecting other businesses.
He said the council didn’t think about how a market could help the town. Geerts said the council only talked about the bad things and ignored the good things a market could do. Even though some people in Pepingen like the idea, the proposal is stuck for now.
Geerts said,
“The advantages, such as bringing people together and supporting local traders, were ignored. No attention was paid to good ideas”.
According to the town council leader, Kristof De Cuyper, the idea for a regular market in Pepingen wasn’t completely rejected. He said they’re going to look at it more closely before making a decision.
A group of small business owners will review the idea, but this group isn’t set up yet. De Cuyper said they need to think about all the things that could happen if they have a market. He said the opposition thinks they don’t have a plan, but they’re just being careful.
“There are still some things that need to be investigated, as we already have a small-scale market on Saturdays.”
Alderman Kristof De Cuyper
De Cuyper also talked about the market that already happens in Pepingen on Saturdays. He said this is something they need to think about when deciding on a bigger market. He said there are already people who sell food and other things in Pepingen, like farm shops, machines that sell things, and farms where people can order food.
He said a new market could affect these businesses. De Cuyper said they need to look at everything carefully before deciding. He said they can’t just say yes or no. They need to see how a new market would affect the businesses and the people in Pepingen. He said they are taking their time to think about it carefully, so they don’t make a mistake.
The alderman said,
“If there were a fixed market day, other activities would also have to be taken into account. There are also weddings and funerals, and that space is then taken up by visitors and cars, among other things.”
