While I can see where local shopkeepers are coming from on this and think their concerns have some validity, I do question whether the opinion of the local population is really very divided. I can't say I've spoken to anyone who isn't pleased about the market, and I do rather suspect if you surveyed ordinary householders who live nearby, you wouldn't find a lot of opposition and would find considerable enthusiasm. Anyway, hopefully there will be room for a wide range of types of business in the long run. Thinking about other areas I know that have markets, it doesn't seem as though they are otherwise a desert for local businesses.