Update on council’s plans to reinstate Ramsgate Market

We are now able to give you an update on Ramsgate Market and the plans to get it back up and running.

The market was run by a third party until June 2020. This followed a period when it was unable to continue due to COVID-19 and the introduction of national lockdown restrictions. In October 2020, our Cabinet agreed that the market wasn’t working in its current form and should therefore cease.

On Thursday 16 June 2022, Cabinet approved proposals to secure a new operator for the market, and to remove existing street trading and hawking restrictions on the High Street, King Street and Queen Street.

We are now starting the process to relaunch the market. This involves talking to possible operators and choosing a location to hold the market. Two potential locations have been identified: Ramsgate High Street and Government Acre, though we would also consider other locations.

We will advertise the opportunity to operate the market on Contract Finder and the Kent Business Portal. Interested operators then have the opportunity to submit an Expression of Interest (EoI) via the Kent Business Portal, and take part in the tender process.

All of the submitted tenders will be evaluated by a panel, according to strict criteria. Once a preferred operator has been identified, due diligence will follow.

We are optimistic that we will find a new operator who will bring their vision for the new market to life. We anticipate that the new market will be operational by spring 2023.