Norwich market stallholders glad to witness the end of war memorial saga

Market stall holders have had to put up with the disruption caused by the closure of the War memorial for the past six years.

However, they said today they hoped the end of the saga would have a positive impact on trade.

Tony Osborne, a caterer for Tony's said: 'I'm very pleased its opening, you need a feel good factor with everything going on. It's somewhere people can reflect on the past and give their respect.

'It will open up the area; there has been a building site there for a while now. The boards came down last week; people have started to come and are looking at the area.'

Robert Ellis, 54, a bookseller of Ellis Bookstall said: 'Stalls were removed from the back of the market which cut down the number of people coming here.

'It's about time it was done. It will be an assist to the city once open.'

Barry Foster, 55, from S+B Footwear said: 'It's about time its opening, should have been done a while ago. It's going to be a good thing when open.

'We are all hoping people will come and use the market again. People have deserted since the work has been going on.'

Barry Reid, 70, of B. Reid Fabrics said: 'It is nice to have it clean and tidy. Hope others give it the respect it is due.

'It shows respect to all those who lost their lives during the war. All the brave young men can be remembered.'

Jo Thomson, 33, from Candy Hut said: 'The closure has affected our business but only a little due to our location.

'Hopefully more people will now come to Norwich and use the market more.'

Terry Grimes, 64, of Car Stuff said: 'The fence went up August 2009. I noticed a drop in business immediately; others were put out of business or came very close to it. It has taken longer to finish than World War Two lasted.

'The opening is a must for us, now the road is open we can access the loading bay. Hopefully it will bring in extra tourists and more people into Norwich.'