BARRAS traders have created an action plan to overhaul Scotland's most famous market in a bid to stop it suffering the same fate as other sites forced to close down.

Action plan sets out to tackle counterfeiters

By Gerry BraidenBARRAS traders have created an action plan to overhaul Scotland's most famous market in a bid to stop it suffering the same fate as other sites forced to close down.

Legitimate traders are exasperated with the criminal gangs peddling contraband and counterfeit goods at the market and are concerned they are not getting value for money for their rents.

The traders have held discussions with Glasgow City Council and its arm's-length agency, City Markets LLP, which runs municipal markets on its behalf, with the authorities said to be receptive to the regeneration proposals.

Among the improvement plans would be more signage directing tourists and visitors to Glasgow to The Barras and removing the eyesores blighting the area.

The council could even provide surplus land to help enable the changes.

Senior councillors have recently said that transforming rundown sites within The Barras would improve the area and boost wider improvements, and that there has been an eagerness to do something with the market for some time.

But one key problem has been the dozen-plus different owners in The Barras, with most accused of not wanting to spend money on improvements.

The Barras Enterprise Trust, which was set up almost 30 years ago to promote the market and encourage its regeneration and revitalisation, has endured a turbulent history, but some traders are now keen to force through their own agenda.

A source said: "These are people whose hearts are in the right place, legitimate traders fed up with the hold these criminal gangs have had on The Barras for the best part of 15 years.

"They've put together their own regeneration plan to overhaul the place as they are fed up that the regime at the helm of The Barras Enterprise Trust has failed to bring about the changes they feel entitled to. Some talks have been held with various parts of the city council, which have gone well seeing as the authority has been desperate for some time to get people around The Barras to be more proactive."

The Barras has a long tradition in the East End of Glasgow, with hawkers selling from handcarts in the early part of the 20th century.

However, in the past fortnight police have seized suspected counterfeit goods - including fake designer fashion, trainers and jewellery - worth £2.5million in a massive raid, one of the largest hauls in the city.

The 80-strong team of officers made 21 arrests and also retrieved class-B and C drugs, as well as weapons.

Even the world's biggest software firm has been involved in crackdowns on The Barras, with Microsoft claiming the market was "an obvious area of concern" and other agencies naming Glasgow the worst piracy black spot outside London.

One major concern is that, if it continues as it has for more than a decade, The Barras could suffer the same fate as Paddy's Market, which was shut earlier this year after many warnings about counterfeit goods, drugs and anti-social behaviour.

Local MSP Frank McAveety said: "The Barras is an essential part of Glasgow history and its people.

"I've had positive experiences there and many memories, and would want The Barras to return to that and be part of the wider East End regeneration.

"I'm very supportive of any efforts which would see legitimate traders taking greater ownership of the market and more responsibility for the negative aspects of it."

A council spokesman said: "The Barras is a world-famous Glasgow institution, and an attraction that draws many people to the city. The city council would be very keen to ensure that this is the best market it can possibly be, and would be interested in speaking to traders to explore any plans they may have for the development of The Barras."

Tom Joyes of The Barras Enterprise Trust refused to comment on the speculation over the revamp plans, except to say that, as a private enterprise, it would have to be consulted on any changes.

There are precedents elsewhere in the UK.

The historic St George's Market in Belfast, while not suffering from the same criminal elements as The Barras, was on the brink of being demolished in the 1990s. But pressure from the public and traders transformed it into a flourishing market, tourist attraction and venue.

But The Barras still throws up the unexpected bargain for those prepared to search hard enough and for many it still has a romantic attachment. A painting bought for 50p at the Barras in the 1970s was recently valued at more than £50,000 when it was discovered it was by celebrated 19th-century Canadian artist Cornelius David Krieghoff.

Eileen Lawson, 58, who first served at the Loch Fyne shellfish bar on Kent Road in 1964, said: "It used to be great fun down here, great banter and a great atmosphere. It would be wall-to-wall in the market and the whole weekend you would be rushed off your feet.

"Now I think the only time there is a good atmosphere down here is Christmas Eve."

"You get a lot of people down here selling cigarettes and fake DVDs. A lot of people moved here when Paddy's was shut."

They came by the busloads to hear 'patter'

Set up in 1921 by Maggie McIver, the traders of today's Barras remember the market's hey day, when 'spielers' would turn selling into a stage show, shifting their wares as quickly as their razor-sharp patter would allow. People once came from all over Scotland to search for bargains at the Barras. It was the first place in Glasgow Sunday trading was tolerated and that, to many, was part of its unique appeal and the starting point of its success. "It used to be a proper market, full of characters. More like a Turkish market, throbbing. People would come by the busload, with 20 buses parked up the Gallowgate. It was a big day out," said Grenfell Lang, 70, of Philip Lang Cycles and Reeta Fashions, whose family have run stores on the Gallowgate since 1955.