A car boot sale could soon be returning to Gloucester.
Gloucester City Council leaders have agreed to look into the possibilities of re-establishing a car boot sale at either Hempsted Meadows or elsewhere in the city.
There was a thriving car boot sale at Hempsted before the pandemic.
However, the popular market relocated to Ross-on-Wye after the city council refused to extend their licence in June 2020.
The council-owned site has since been leased to the NHS to carry out Covid-19 testing.
But now councillors want to see the car boot sale return as they believe it will have a positive impact on the city.
They say car boot sales promote recycling, stimulate the economy and provide an important social contact for many people.
The council passed a motion on January 27 calling on civic leaders to look into the possibilities of re-establishing a car boot sale in the city.
Councillor Anne Radley (Lib Dem, Elmbridge), who proposed the motion, said: “I miss car boot sales.
“I love to be able to go there and look at the great array of interesting things. And I love that the car boot sale and other outdoor markets are a great way of reusing and recycling.
“They are small steps and little changes that can make a big difference to our carbon footprint and climate change.
“We would benefit as a city in having a general purpose open-air market.”
Councillor Sebastian Field (Lib Dem, Podsmead), who seconded the motion, said car boots were a brilliant thing and he had been using them for 30 years.
He said you can often buy second hand vinyl records at around £10 or £5 or even cheaper.
“It has got to be a good thing that we recycle and reuse these things rather than press yet another copy of Rumours by Fleetwood Mac,” he said.
Culture and leisure cabinet member Andy Lewis (Con, Quedgeley Severn Vale), who proposed a successful amendment to consider other sites as well as Hempsted, agreed.
“It’s been 45 years since I went to my first one,” he said.
“That was at the cattle market when I first moved to Gloucester. It was good fun.
Deputy leader Hannah Norman (Con, Quedgeley Fieldcourt) said the Hempsted site did have some financial challenges.
“Historically, when HGVs have gone onto the surface there it has caused quite a lot of damage.
“We need to be quite careful how that site is used moving forward as the replacement of that surface would cost hundreds of thousands of pounds.”
The council unanimously backed the motion.
By Carmelo Garcia – Local Democracy Reporter