A proposal to move the Huntly market to the town's Tumate Mahuta reserve has been shelved by Waikato District councillors.

The market has operated from the former Countdown supermarket car park in William St on Fridays for the past 18 months.

It is run by Franklin Markets which also operates markets in Pukekohe and Pokeno.

Franklin Markets owner Roger Vincent, in a letter to the council, said the Huntly market's success was "somewhat compromised by its location" and asked to move the fixture to Tumate Mahuta reserve.

The present site lacked profile, he said. The market would offer a lot of benefit to the town in its new location and would attract people to Huntly.

The reserve was also close to the town's central businesses but would not directly affect local shops.

The proposal was backed by the Huntly Community Board.

But at a meeting of the Waikato District Council's water and facilities committee yesterday, councillors decided against issuing a licence for the new site.

Committee members said the site was unsuitable for a market because of "traffic management issues".

The committee also opposed the commercial use of a public recreation reserve. A council report said the reserve had poor drainage and was wet and soft during winter.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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