Residents, traders and neighbouring businesses have called for a change in the management of Gloucester Green Market, raising concerns about its direction, the balance of businesses operating there and alleged anti-social behaviour around the city-centre square.
The debate has put the future of the council-owned market under scrutiny ahead of the expiry of its management contract in March 2028. Campaigners want Oxford City Council to consider bringing its operation back in-house or exploring an alternative model that places greater emphasis on the market’s wider community value.
The market has been managed by LSD Promotions since 2013. Its future was raised at a council scrutiny committee meeting in September and again at a full council meeting on Monday, 5 October, where residents and business owners set out contrasting concerns about the way the space is being used.
Isabel Tucker, a Jericho resident of 23 years and spokesperson for the Friends of Gloucester Green Market group, argued that the current arrangement had not served the interests of many people connected to the market.
“Several of the current traders are unhappy, and many others have left the market,” she said, adding that footfall had fallen and traders were making less money.
Tucker also raised concerns about night-time disturbances, saying residents had been kept awake by anti-social behaviour following the withdrawal of a night-time security guard. One resident of the flats overlooking Gloucester Green had told her that the smell of drugs was so strong they felt obliged to keep their windows shut.
These accounts formed part of the concerns presented to councillors; the allegations do not, in themselves, establish the extent of any underlying problems.
A market’s purpose under debate
At the heart of the dispute is a question about what Gloucester Green Market should offer Oxford. Tucker argued that an increasing emphasis on street food had come at the expense of other traders, leaving the market diminished in both size and variety.
Restaurant owner Liberato Maioriello, who runs Gino’s Spaghetti House in the square, similarly questioned the balance of activity. He described Gloucester Green as a gateway to the city but said the current market had become, for much of the week, primarily a large hot-food market.
He argued that this put market traders in direct competition with established restaurants and said vehicles and trailers were affecting access, movement and the appearance of the area.
The concerns extend beyond the commercial interests of individual businesses. Gloucester Green sits close to Oxford’s main shopping streets and bus station, serving residents, workers and visitors as well as those trading in the square. How it is managed therefore has implications for the experience of a wider part of the city centre.
Tucker argued that the market should be regarded as a community asset rather than simply a source of revenue. She pointed to its potential to support small businesses, retain wealth in the local economy, reduce waste and improve access to affordable goods.
She also called for the possible return of a farmers’ market, saying it was something many people missed.
The Friends of Gloucester Green Market group wants the council to consider taking over management directly when the existing contract ends. If that is not immediately feasible, Tucker suggested exploring a non-profit alternative.
Council says future arrangements remain open
Councillor Mark Lygo acknowledged the importance of Gloucester Green but challenged the negative account presented by residents and businesses.
“I agree that Gloucester Green Market is an important community asset and that it delivers benefits beyond the income it generates,” he said. “The council remains committed to supporting its long-term success.”
However, he said the feedback received directly by the council did not align with the views expressed at the meetings, describing continued negative statements about the market as unfounded and warning that adverse publicity could harm the independent businesses trading there.
Lygo said the council would continue to monitor the situation but that it was too early to determine how the market should be operated after the current contract expires.
He also pointed to local government reorganisation as a factor that would need to be considered when future arrangements were assessed.
As the 2028 deadline approaches, he said the council would ensure appropriate engagement took place before decisions were made about the market’s future operation.
For now, the management contract remains in place, and no decision has been announced to bring the market back under direct council control or appoint a different operator.
The debate leaves the council with a broader question to address before the next contract is agreed: how Gloucester Green can remain commercially viable while serving the needs of traders, neighbouring businesses, residents and the city as a whole.
Reporting contribution by Isabella Harris, Local Democracy Reporter (LDR) for Oxfordshire, covering local politics, council meetings and planning decisions across six councils in the county.
