Farmers market owner vows to fight council in court after ban on operating in parks

RMS Markets, which usually runs two weekly events in Bishops Park in Fulham and Ravenscourt Park in Hammersmith, was served with an injunction by the council on Friday, April 30.

The injunction was the latest escalation in the row, which kicked off when the council initially told the company on April 10 that its markets would not be allowed to make their long-awaited return from lockdown on Saturday, April 17.

The council’s repeated argument has been that the markets would create a public health risk due to increased footfall.

Despite this, the council allowed Mr Spurrier to run a smaller farmer’s market at Brackenbury Primary School on May 1.

Ross Spurrier, who founded RMS Markets in 2013, said: “Given that non-essential shops are now open… hairdressers, gyms and beauty salons are all open and infection rates continue to fall throughout London, we have asked what this supposed ‘public health advice’ is.

“We have seen none, and from what the Council has disclosed to us there was no such evidence presented during the meeting in April when it decided to change its mind and keep our markets closed.”

He added: “I simply do not understand their reasoning.”

His colleague Fiona Campbell told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that they will appeal against the council’s injunction.

“We will be fighting for Bishops Park. We’re not about to lose eight years of work on that, and there is no alternative site we could use,” she said.

“For the foreseeable future we will be at Brackenbury Primary School.”

A council spokesperson also revealed that in future it could choose a different markets company to operate on the two sites instead.

“On public health advice the borough’s farmers markets remain closed.

“But [the council] looks forward to re-establishing such attractions in its parks when the current health crisis allows.

“This will follow a competitive tender process for the provision of outdoor markets,” a council spokesman said.

“We also recognise that the pandemic has had a detrimental effect on local shops, cafes, and restaurants so we will take this opportunity to review the purpose of the markets and develop a new set of outcomes so we best support local businesses and residents.”