Ancient law could finish a market dream

Feb 17 2010 by Matt Hurst, Heswall News

DREAMS of establishing a market in Hoylake by a grassroots regeneration group could be scuppered by a 750 year old law.

Since 1253, and the granting of Birkenhead’s Royal Charter, British law has stipulated that markets must be further than six and two third miles apart.

This was calculated on the basis of being one third of 20 miles, or the distance it was understood a man with a laden mule could walk in one day.

Now, community organisation Hoylake Village Life (HVL) is seeking to challenge the ruling and the calculation that sees Hoylake fit just inside the six and two third miles boundary.

The group, made up of high calibre Hoylake-based professionals in industries like law, journalism and marketing, has secured the pro bono services of Liverpool-based Bermans Law to investigate.

But as far as Birkenhead marketing manager Danny Doyle is concerned, it’s an open and shut case.

He told the News: “It’s not my view, we had a survey done and it’s well within it.

“You’d be surprised how much land falls within six and two third miles and, trust me, Hoylake is well within it.”

HVL has produced a document under the title, Laden Mules Don’t Fly and contends the calculation should be based on walking routes rather than linear distance, or ‘as the crow flies’.

The group was born out of a concern that the number of empty shops in Hoylake was increasing, and something needed to be done to encourage people into the area.

Mark Howard, of HVL, was born in Birkenhead but now lives in Hoylake.

The 48-year-old said: “We’re a young, vibrant group and we want people to realise the demographic of Hoylake is changing.

“It used to be somewhere older people came to retire, but now it’s full of young families, and we want to promote it as somewhere to live in Wirral.”

He envisages the market focussing largely on art and antiques, perhaps once a week or once a month, and positioned near Hoylake station.

He said: “If it was a daily thing, Birkenhead would be more likely to complain and say it was damaging their trade, but I don’t think it would make a blind bit of difference.”