Adelaide Central Market wants Gouger Street closed to traffic every Sunday as a low-cost solution to the long-standing stoush over its short trading hours.

But it is still refusing to officially open the market-proper on Sundays.

Market Chairman Nick Begakis and newly-minted general manager Aaron Brumby told an Adelaide City Council committee meeting last night they would like to see an open-air market along Gouger Street each Sunday, possibly involving all of the 500 businesses in the area around the Central Market.

“One of the conversations we’ve had that seems to have fallen on fertile ground is to close Gouger Street completely on Sunday and make Gouger Street the complete market,” said Begakis.

“(It) will include not just the Central Market but give economic opportunity to the traders in the arcade, in the plaza, and all of the restaurants that are in that area.

“Employing people on Sunday (means) costs go through the roof and therefore opening the market proper is an issue.

“But if we decided that what we’ll have is a complete Gouger Street market, then … it might be a viable proposition.

“We’re not trying to achieve having the market open; what we’re trying to achieve is an experience for people who are in town.”

Brumby told InDaily this morning that a Sunday street market along the six-lane city strip would be an opportunity for the entire Central Market district business community to collaborate.

He said it would attract crowds to the area and be more financially viable than opening the Central Market itself on a Sunday.

“We see it as a much better opportunity for the entire precinct,” he said.

Adelaide Central Market is officially open during varying hours, Tuesday to Saturday.

Deputy Lord Mayor and Central Ward councillor Houssam Abiad said the street market had the potential to make Sunday opening a more viable prospect for the Central Market itself.

“I think it would be a great idea, subject to consultation with traders in the street,” he said.

Abiad said Adelaide Central Market had missed a “gap in the market” by failing to open on Sundays.

“As a result of not opening on Sunday we’ve seen the rise of the Farmers Market and (other) weekend markets.

“Sunday rates are quite high when it comes to employment, but if the demand is there, its just a question of … coming up with supply.

“As we increase our population in the city there will definitely be more demand for the Central Market to open on the weekends.”

However, Brumby said the Central Market had not missed an opportunity by remaining closed on Sundays, because Sunday customers are generally family groups not looking to purchase large quantities of produce.

He said Sunday customers may, instead, be interested in a open-air market involving hundreds of offerings from different types of city businesses.

“It could be a customer that is interested in a market with a couple of hundred stalls,” he said.

Central Market general manager Aaron Brumby. Photo supplied

Central Ward councillor David Slama said he would like to see Adelaide City Council provide free parking on Sundays in the area to help an open-air Gouger Street market take off.

“To have activity in Gouger Street on a Sunday would be awesome,” he said.

“I personally think it’s a great idea.

“To be able to ride in with my kids into Gouger Street, park the bicycle, enjoy the market, live music, coffee, whatever it takes, would be fantastic.”

However he said there may be concerns from “bricks and mortar” traders on Gouger Street.

“I could possibly see that, if it’s going to give people a reason to hang around in the area – because the market’s shut – then that’s got to be good for the other traders as well,” he said.

“But at the same time … some traders may complain, and say, ‘here we are, paying rents, coming in, paying double time to be open on Saturdays and Sundays and you’ve got all these new traders coming in in front of us’.

“Six of one, half a dozen of the other.”

He agreed that it was difficult for traders to open on Sundays, but said there would be strong demand from customers, particularly those arriving from interstate – particularly during football season – if it ever did.

“It’s very hard to be open seven days,” he said.

“I think the market should be closed Monday and Tuesday and go five days from there.

“(However) I’m not close enough to it to understand why that may or may not work.”

A spokesperson for Adelaide City Council released a statement to InDaily this morning, saying it is “supportive of enlivening the streets and laneways of Adelaide, and the temporarily closure of Gouger Street on Sundays could be one way of adding to the colour and movement of the city”.

“Council looks forward to seeing the plans in more detail so we can consider the implications and benefits more fully.”