800-year-old cattle market to move to new site

A county's last remaining cattle market is set to move on the outskirts of a town to ensure its future trading.

Thame Farmers Auction Mart (TFAM), which has been managing the 800-year-old Thame Market since April 2000, has been granted planning permission by South Oxfordshire District Council (SODC) to relocate it close to Christmas Hill Business Park.

The move is expected to take about 12 to 18 months to complete, and it is subject to a series of conditions.

TFAM chairman Richard Roff said they were "delighted" at the resolution, while market visitors had mixed feelings of doubt, excitement and sadness, with some saying "the atmosphere around the ring won't be the same".

Livestock markets have been held at Thame since the Middle Agesand moved to the current purpose-built facility in North Street in the town centre in 1951.

The cattle market is also one of the region's most important "live" markets, with 15 members of staff employed on market day.

"I think it's important that you keep the live auctions going, because how would you know where the trade is if you didn't?," one visitor said.

Regular livestock sales, such as of prime sheep, rams and store cattle, are held on Wednesdays and Fridays.

TFAM said a starting date "has yet to be determined for the new site" which is just west of the town off Rycote Lane.

It added that would "provide market users and staff with a state-of-the-art facility, improve congestion in the town for the community and ensure the continued success of TFAM".

Roff said once the conditions were resolved, "this will secure the future of livestock trading in the South East at a time when a number of markets across the country have closed in recent years".

But he added that "further work is required to deliver the planning consent".

"The benefits of the new site include covered pens, the potential for expanded operations and increased sales opportunities as a new market is expected to attract new buyers and sellers, offer better facilities for hauliers and allow for more operating days."

At Wednesday's market, visitors shared views on the relocation.

"It's sad that it's moving, but it's exciting," an attendee said.

"Once you move, you'll never get it back and the atmosphere around the ring, it won't be there, it won't be the same."

Another commented that it would be "a shame to see it go, but there's no scope for increasing size here" and that "the parking is dreadful".

There was a visitor who said he was "not convinced it's going to happen".

"It's going to cost a huge amount of money to put the new market up, so I'm hoping it will, but the state of British farming at the moment, I think it's unlikely," he said.

Roff said it was "wonderful" that the market's connection with livestock sales continued "while removing issues related to congestion, noise and smell created by the current location in the town centre".

"At present, the future use of the current market site remains uncertain, with a number of uses being considered by its owners SODC who have been supportive of the application for the new market."

SODC's planning committee meeting on 1 April concluded with seven votes for and one against the relocation.

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