New markets development officer

Mark Atkinson has been working as the Markets Development Officer for both Portobello and Golborne since June. His job is to ensure that the markets thrive, and that local people have a say in how that happens.

Originally from New Jersey in the USA, Mark has lived in London since 2005, and right on Golborne Road for the last four years. His career background is in design and in urban planning, which he got involved in during the 11 years he lived in San Francisco.

‘I’m very keen to work with local traders and businesses,’ says Mark, ‘but I’m not asking people to come to me with a list of problems. To a large extent, we already know the problems – I want to work with local people to find the solutions.

‘I worked as a street trade myself in New York and I ran a shop so I know the general problems that businesses face, if not all the specific issues here. I want people to come to me with ideas about what we should be doing and I want to hear the different voices in the community.

‘Golborne Road is a market that attracts local and tourist trade and I believe that market traders and shopkeepers need to work together. To do my job effectively, I need local people to work with me. There is no magic wand, but I can act as a facilitator, I can set up meetings, and I can join the dots. ‘The Council is committed to supporting Golborne Market, and it’s part of my job to make sure that developments have the backing of local people.

‘I’ve already been involved in the Streetlight project next month, and there will be more activities in the coming months. For example, I’ll be working on the Portobello Wall, which divides Portobello and Golborne Markets, to find ways of breaking down the current boundary that exists.’

If you’d like to talk to Mark about the future of Golborne and Portobello Markets, call him on 020 7727 7684 or email him.