Cape Town: The Economic Growth Directorate of the City of Cape Town has concluded the public participation process on the draft Trading Plan for the Trafalgar Place Flower Market on Adderley Street in the Cape Town CBD. The City thanked flower sellers, heritage bodies and the public for their extensive and thoughtful input. It is being considered to help refine the proposed trading plan to protect historical trader security and upgrade the market site.
Reportedly, all the registered traders and markets in Cape Town operate under the security of trading plans to ensure fairness and good trading conditions. The Trafalgar Place Flower Market still operates informally without security for flower sellers. The time has come to upgrade the market site and ensure proper trading security. This gives historical flower sellers preference and protection.
Also, this is only possible by incorporating the site into the City’s lawful governance model. All of the Cape Town’s traders and markets benefit from under the Informal Trading By-Law and trading plans for each site.
Member of the Mayoral Committee for Economic Growth and Tourism – Alderman James Vos stated that the Public Participation Process has yielded useful insights for refining the proposed trading plan. Longer trading hours and increase in the number of trading stalls are examples of feedback from flower sellers which the City will work to incorporate into the plans.
The goal is to provide security of tenure for long‑standing flower sellers, ensuring that they are given preference for permits. Most importantly, they want to grow the success of trading by investing in major upgrades to promote a dignified and iconic market at this historical trading space.
According to Vos, it is important that spaces with such history are not simply left to age over time, especially without any security for historical flower sellers. Trading plans are the key means by which the City of Cape Town can actively and lawfully support traders and markets to continue thriving well into the future.
Notably, by introducing permits with preference for historical flower sellers, the City of Cape Town will be able to lawfully ensure fair allocation of trading bays, prevent overcrowding and maintain pedestrian safety in this busy part of the city. Permits will be phased in with due care and the same permit fee that is applied to all other CBD traders which will be implemented in this instance.