VISITORS to Tavistock's Bank Square may soon see the area with a new lease of life as plans for rejuvenating the area with a monthly market and street performers were given the go ahead by West Devon Borough Councillors last week.

A unanimous decision was made by councillors on the environment and community committee to host a monthly Saturday market in the Bank Square car park for a trial period of six months, in a bid to rejuvenate the Market Street and King Street area of the town.

West Devon Borough Council regeneration officer Robert Plumb said: 'This is an idea that has been bubbling around for a little while. We've worked with a wide range of partners and canvassed the opinions of local businesses. There's been surprisingly overwhelming support, almost unanimously, for this idea.'

Mr Plumb said there were a few issues as to what might go in the market and concerns about conflictions with the farmers' market but the idea was for it to be targeted more towards arts and crafts.

He said traders in the farmers' market were not concerned about another market if it was primarily an artists' market.

Councillor Alison Clish-Green said: 'This is far more than a good idea. I talked to some of the businesses on Dickensian evening and they wanted a way of bringing people up onto the secondary streets.

'Anything we can do in the town to bring people in, we should do it.'

The market is intended to start in April although discussions are still ongoing as to who will operate it and permission will have to be sought from Tavistock Town Council which holds the charter to hold markets.

Borough council officers have discussed with officers of the town council, who were in favour of the provision of additional market activity at Bank Square, but a formal application needs to be made before any scheme can be implemented.

l The proposal for a market at Bank Square came under the spotlight at the town council's finance committee last week.

Wayne Southall, the town's works superintendent, said he did not feel the proposed market would conflict with the pannier market.

'I think they are looking more at an arts market, that will provide something completely different to what goes in the pannier market — it would provide an additional attraction for people to come to Tavistock,' he said.

Town clerk Roger Howard pointed out that the town council held the market charter for Tavistock and anyone wishing to hold a market within six leagues of the pannier market had to ask for permission from the council. No such request had been made so far, he told members.

Cllr Anne Johnson said the organisers should also make sure the market was not held on the same day as the farmers' market in Bedford Square.

Cllr Philip Sanders, who is also a member of the borough council, said: 'It seemed very clear to me that it was not to be held on the same day as the farmers' market, but on the slower trading days, to try and attract people into that part of town.'