Markets by the Sea cancelled due to new council requirements

Perth Now

6 days ago

A popular beachside market in Perth's north has pulled the pin on its upcoming season, blaming increasing traffic management demands imposed by the City of Joondalup.
Markets by the Sea, which had typically been held every second Sunday from October to April at the North Shore Community Hub in Kallaroo, said it could no longer operate due to the costs associated with meeting the city's new requirements.
Organisers say the market's cancellation will impact a wide network of local vendors and performers, with past events supporting around 150 to 200 small businesses.
Brooke Wren founded the markets in 2017 at Whitfords Nodes before moving them to the North Shore Community Hub, where they've become a popular fixture in the community since 2022. Markets by the Sea had typically been held every second Sunday from October to April at the North Shore Community Hub in Kallaroo. Credit: Supplied
Ms Wren, who works full-time as a youth worker alongside running the markets, said the city's new traffic management requirements would add up to around $10,000 in costs per season, making it financially unfeasible for the community market to continue.
'They are making requests that are just not viable for small businesses,' she said.
'They've essentially made it impossible for us to operate, but they won't take responsibility for cancelling the market. Instead, they're shifting the blame onto us by saying we chose to cancel.'
It's estimated that throughout the day, the market would attract around 1000 visitors. Markets by the Sea event founder and organiser Brooke Wren during happier times. Credit: Kelsey Reid / The West Australian
Ms Wren said she was disappointed the market had to end this way and believes it 'reflects poorly on the City of Joondalup', potentially leading to a loss of trust in its support for community events.
'Several stallholders have told me the cancellation will have real impacts on their livelihoods,' she said.
'In a cost-of-living crisis, many people rely on markets as a side hustle or secondary income, and this takes that away.
'It wasn't just the stallholders that were benefiting. It was the local buskers, the musicians, the face painters, bouncy castles ... there's a whole range of businesses that you're incorporating that now that aren't getting the opportunity to attend the day.'
Ms Wren said the traffic management plan would require reducing the speed limit on surrounding roads to 40 km/h, enforced by certified traffic controllers stationed throughout the area, as well as providing shuttle bus services — all at the market's expense.
City of Joondalup CEO James Pearson told PerthNow the traffic management plan and temporary traffic controls were now necessary for the event to continue 'in a well-managed and safe manner,' given the increasing size of the crowds attracted to the markets. City of Joondalup CEO James Pearson said the requirements were essential to ensure the event could continue in a safe manner. Credit: City of Joondalup
'In recent months, the city has worked constructively with the event organiser to explore alternative solutions to ongoing parking and traffic challenges,' Mr Pearson said.
'These measures are essential to ensure safe access, reduce congestion and provide a positive and enjoyable experience for all attendees.'
'If these requirements are met, the markets will be able to proceed as planned this summer.'
The City of Joondalup has previously provided small grants to support Markets by the Sea and said the event remains eligible for sponsorship, with one of the conditions being that it does not engage in actions that could undermine the city's reputation.
However, Ms Wren said communication with the city had frequently been challenging and lacked clarity and that with the time needed to organise the markets, proceeding this year was effectively impossible even if an agreement is reached.
'When I reached out to them about the issues, I either got no response or replies that didn't address my concerns. It felt like they were just brushing me off,' she said.
'They say they're trying to support small businesses, but their actions say otherwise. What they've done here completely contradicts that.
'Markets like ours bring the community together. People stay for hours, meet their neighbours, and connect with local creatives and entrepreneurs. That's hard to replace.' Markets by the Sea had typically been held every second Sunday from October to April at the North Shore Community Hub in Kallaroo. Credit: Supplied
North Shore Community Hub president Len Collier said she was disappointed by the market's cancellation.
She said it had attracted new visitors to the precinct and created positive flow-on effects for community engagement, but she understood the need for increased traffic management.
'It has been a well-loved community event that brought vibrancy to our local precinct and provided a fantastic platform for small businesses and families to connect,' Ms Collier said.
'As the popularity of the markets grew, so too did the pressure on surrounding roads and parking infrastructure.
'We've supported the city's efforts to ensure public safety, and we acknowledge that the need for formal traffic management has become more critical as event attendance has increased.'
Ms Wren said she had been approached by other local councils interested in hosting the markets.
'The City of Wanneroo sent an email requesting a meeting and some smaller private groups have too, but the brand was born in the City of Joondalup, and we would love for them to meet us at the table, but that just hasn't happened,' she said.