Council has announced the Kiama Seaside Market, operated by the Kiama & District Business Chamber, will continue to operate at Black Beach (16 times a year) and the Kiama Farmers’ Market will continue to weekly at Surf Beach under its new licencing arrangements.

The new system is based on an independent land valuation rather than a per stall fee as in the past.

This has led Kerrie Humphrey of HiViz Events not to participate in the Expression of Interest (EOI) to continue running her Kiama Makers & Growers Market under the new system, as she felt that it did not take into account the practicalities of running a market.

After nine years, she is holding her last Saturday market down at Black Beach – the Kiama Makers & Growers Market – this Saturday (27 May).

While frustrated by the experience trying to get her points across to Council, and concerned about the fate of her stallholders, Ms Humphrey is already moving onto her next venture.

She is relaunching the markets at Bulli Showground as the Bulli Village Market on 11 June, while continuing to operate her markets at Milton and Moss Vale.

“I gave it a long hard think as it wasn’t an easy decision to make,” she says.

“I just didn’t think it was fair that the rent for my smaller market – which I had managed for nine years – was going up 40 per cent, as well as having no weather cancellation policy given the flat fee.

“I didn’t think it was fair I should have to be paying as much as the Seaside Market, when it was double the size [60 stalls vs 100-150 at the Seaside Market] and the same price.”

After the first EOI was withdrawn for further discussion, not-for-profits were offered a 25 per cent discount on their fees. HiViz did not qualify for that.

Farmers’ Market Manager Tricia Ashelford says, “I was relieved our EOI was accepted, and am looking forward to nutting out some of the conditions so they reflect our reality,” says.

“In particular, given we are committed to holding a market each week and can’t make one up, we are concerned about having to pay for park usage when we are also paying to use the Uniting Church. This wasn’t factored into our costs before.”