Uplands Market highlighted in new ‘pedestrian pound’ report

The Pedestrian Pound is published by Living Streets, the UK charity for everyday walking, and shows that investing in better streets and places for walking and wheeling delivers quantifiable commercial returns. 

Data shows that pedestrians spend more money than people arriving by car, and pedestrianised town centres have higher footfall. 

Living Streets say that this is particularly relevant for Swansea, where the city centre has experienced a decline in footfall in recent years, despite recovering well from the pandemic. 23 per cent of high street services are vacant, and fewer visitors are coming from outside the city.

One of the case studies in the report is Uplands Market, a social enterprise founded by Urban Foundry. The market has transformed Gwydr Square, a side road just off the main street in Uplands, into a traffic-free space for people by temporarily removing a handful of parking spaces for a few hours each month. The market has improved the local economy and encouraged more walking in the neighbourhood.  

The first Uplands Market was held in July 2013. Apart from the pandemic, the market has been held on every last Saturday of the month ever since, providing retail space for independent producers of high-quality, locally-made food, drink and craft items.  

Footfall at Uplands Market is weather dependent but there can be over 3,000 people on warm sunny days – far more than in the area on a usual Saturday morning. It has been ranked as one of the top ten street markets in the UK by The Daily Telegraph and has twice been runner-up in The Observer Food Monthly awards.  

The market intentionally doesn’t offer refreshments, and some local businesses offer special market day deals, helping to support local cafes and shops by bringing increased trade on market day.  

In 2018, a survey with about 300 visitors at Uplands Market and its sister market in the marina found that 67 per cent of people had specifically been attracted by the markets and a fifth of people also spent money in surrounding local businesses, typically spending in the region of £10 to £25. Additionally, 77 per cent thought the market had given them a more positive view of the Uplands area. Anecdotally, many people originally attracted by the market now also shop in Uplands on non-market days. 

The majority of people in Wales (57%) walk for travel purposes more than once a week2, but charity Living Streets says more needs to be done to integrate walking with public transport and make places more attractive for pedestrians.  

Catherine Woodhead, Chief Executive, Living Streets said: “Many high streets in Wales are struggling, so it’s heartening to see how Uplands Market in Swansea has been so successful for the local economy – and a real asset for those who live in the area. 

“The Pedestrian Pound proves that making high streets and town centres into spaces where people can walk and wheel increases time – and money – spent in those businesses. Uplands Market is a great example of how creating accessible and attractive public spaces can help to bring communities together.” 

Tara Tarapetian, Director of Urban Foundry, said: “Uplands Market has been a great addition to Uplands as a community. It’s taken what would have been a car-dominated space and made it more pedestrian-friendly. Walking and wheeling have been brilliant for the local community and people visiting the market often go on to shop at local businesses in the area.”  

Rana Verma owns Babita’s Spice, which trades at Uplands Market, with his wife. He said: “The market is a very social experience for many people, and they can come and shop at a leisurely pace. We find that people feel a lot more comfortable bringing their children, their pets, their toddlers in prams, and the fact that there’s no traffic just make that logistically a lot more straightforward.”