Willoughby’s Le Marche market in jeopardy amid planning stalemate with Willoughby Council

Stallholders say they are in a nervous wait to find out whether the popular market can continue operating as a planning stalemate with local council planners enters its third month.

The market attracts large crowds of residents and visitors.

The future of the much loved north shore market remains up in the air as a local council considers whether to allow the local institution to continue operating.

Stallholders of Le Marche market say they are in a nervous wait as a planning stalemate with Willoughby Council to determine the future of the bimonthly event enters its third month.

The French-inspired market – which operates at Laurelbank Cottage – was founded by Solveig Coulon-Legay more than two years ago and attracts huge crowds of market lovers and local residents.

In 2021, the market was granted approval by the council to operate for an initial two year trial period which expired on July 26 this year.

In early May this year, Ms Coulon-Legal applied to the council to permanently continue the market – but almost three months later has yet to find out whether the application will be approved.

The market has been held since 2021.

The council’s lengthy assessment process has left Ms Colon-Legal frantically searching for other market sites in case the application is rejected.

“We’re in the hands of the council and it’s scary because I have 40 stallholders who are sole traders and small businesses who are also waiting,” she said.

“It’s very frustrating and we don’t know why (the assessment process) has taken so long.

Market founder Solveig Coulon-Legay.

“The market is so well loved by the community – it’s very family oriented and it’s a place where the whole neighbourhood comes together.

“It’s taken three years to build the market and we’re just hoping we’ll be allowed to continue”.

This publication understands the council has granted the markets an interim approval to continue trading until the application is determined.

The proposal to continue the operation has attracted dozens of letters of support including from stallholders and local residents.

The market is held at Laurelbank in Willoughby.

But the proposal also has detractors with several residents opposing the continuation of the markets – largely due to traffic congestion.

One resident – in a letter to the council – wrote neighbouring homeowners “suffer” due to “people parking and congesting the streets, prohibiting residents from using spaces and their driveways.”

Stallholder Tara Poelaert – who drives from Newcastle to take part in the market – is hopeful it will continue.

“The market is so well run and it’s a great group of people and it would be such a shame to see it go,” she said.

“All the stallholders have different obligations and to have it take so long (for the application to be determined) impacts what you can make forward plans for.”

Willoughby Council was contacted for comment about the application but did not respond at the time of publication.

Ms Coulon-Legal said she had been bowled over by the overwhelming community support for the market to continue.

“In many ways it’s more than a market,” she said.

“You can come sit, there’s a communal area where people can chat and particularly for elderly people or people that live on their own it’s a place to break that sense of loneliness.”