I've been reading these posts and two things strike me:

First - imagine if the Farmers' Market had been here first, before the Dartmouth Road traders arrived. Imagine, then, that they went along to Sugar Mountain and Aga's and said: you are too much competition for us. Please could you only open every other Saturday, to benefit us, a competing business.

Doesn't sound like the real world, does it? And it wouldn't be fair.

Second - it remains to be absolutely proved that the market is the reason that business is quiet on Dartmouth Road. As others have said, there is only a small amount of overlap in the what's provided. And regulars at the market keep saying it hasn't changed their other shopping behaviour. Now, it may seem obvious that the two things are connected, but what if it's just co-incidence? What if there is something else that has affected trade on D Road, and by focussing on the market, that reason is being missed?

What drives footfall to Dartmouth Road? How would the market have deflected it? What else has changed? Is it just the season? Are fewer people using the pools at the weekend now the glorious summer has passed? Is the difficulty in parking, exacerbated by the pools, finally drawing people away? Or has the initial honeymoon period passed for the traders who don't sell food stuffs? I can only buy so many bags and fancy frocks. Traders like that need to bring people in from outside the local area to survive as repeat business from locals will be limited. Are they doing that? Are they also selling items that invite repeat trade? I shop in Bunka more regularly than the other clothes shops because I go in for gifts and kitchen ware. More often than I should I also come out with an item of clothing for me.

So, my main point is: are we asked the right questions?