Farmers market in Lower Marsh

Have you ever been to a farmers' market? If so what was it like? Do you think it would be good to have one in Lower Marsh market alongside the existing traders? Please let me know what you think. Thanks, Abs

Any initiative to maintain Lower Marsh as a worthwhile place for local shopping gets my vote.

I think it is a splendid idea, especially as Borough Market has turned into a theme park full of tourists on a Saturday. Five or six years ago I was a regular now I only shop there in an emergency or if there is something I just can't get elsewhere. So a Lower Marsh rival - Yes Please.

Completely agree with cjwtv. Have nothing to add, but weight of response.

Absolutely, I'll be there in a flash.

Yes. I love Farmers' Markets. Used to go to one in W1. Excellent produce, at prices comparable to Borough Market, and with a nice laid-back vibe.

The big drawbacks in terms of using Lower Marsh for our weekly shop is that there is no butcher.

In contrast in Tatchbrook St SW1 there is a choice of people selling fish, a butcher, a baker, and a cheesemonger. Also there is a small playground which is open...and staffed public toilets.

I do not know if I am alone, but there is also a sense of insularity about Waterloo. Despite it being my nearest shopping centre, local groups and funding limit input on the future of the area to those being inside their self-defined boundaries. My, albeit childish, response to those "community leaders" was that if that was what they thought, I did not need to spend my money within their community.

This I recognise is a bit extreme, but I think it is fair to say that that insularity has restricted initiatives to market Lower Marsh to people like my neighbours and residents of China Walk and the Ethelreds for whom Lower Marsh is the nearest real shopping centre (Lambeth Walk is effectively dead)and who in the past would have used Lower Marsh and The Cut.

There have been bucket loads of money poured into the area from SRB but also from BIDs and other business initiatives. But as the Forum has noted in the past, the French Markets have been been poorly publicised and bar one or two exceptions including events held by the new bookshop, there seems to have been no effort to bring in what a market really needs, which is customers.

However your post is a good start.

I'd back a farmer's market in Lower Marsh. Actually there's talk of one at the Oval - at the church opposite the tube station - coming at the end of February.

I would also back a farmers market in Lower Marsh as I can't stand the touristic yuppified atmosphere of Borough market albeit being stunned by the quality of the produce on offer. Let's have a market for locals please.

I, too feel that it would be an excellent idea. In the past I might have disagreed because of competition with the existing market but that is now all but dead now anyway so an alternative would be great!!