A TRADER given notice to quit Chester’s market hall has been given a reprieve.

Suhail Ahmed, of clothing stall Saira Trading, was told he must move to another stall to allow the council to shorten the struggling market to create ‘a vibrant trading area’.

But Suhail, whose family has been in the market for more than 40 years, wouldn’t accept the alternative trading area he had been offered, describing it as being in ‘death valley’, an area which sees fewer shoppers than the rest of the market.

But he has now secured a pitch with more passing trade.

He said: “What happened was a unit became available in a much better position for me.

“I put an application into the market management and it was accepted.”

Suhail, whose case featured in the Chronicle, felt ‘humbled’ by the support he received from the stall’s loyal customers, which he believes made the difference in his campaign.

He said: “Hopefully I can carry on trading in this market.

“I would like to thank the many customers and friends who supported me through a difficult time.”

Suhail must move because his current stall is the wrong side of where Cheshire West and Chester Council wants to erect a wall to decrease the trading area but he actually agrees with the move.

He said: “Sometimes you have to look at common sense. The market is too big to serve its purpose. If they don’t shorten it the whole market is going to collapse.”

However, he suspects the long-term proposal to move to a new market hall on the Frodsham Street car park is ‘never going to happen’, given the fact similar schemes have been mooted for years.

In addition to reducing the size of the market, the authority has spent £107,000 on improvements including repainting the hall, the refurbishment of vacant units and sliding doors and there are plans for new signage.