THE South Beach Sunset Markets have been given a lifeline to keep operating this summer.

At Fremantle council’s monthly meeting on Wednesday, councillors overturned a staff decision to cancel the markets this year so they didn’t compete with bricks and mortar businesses still recovering from the Covid shutdown.

Markets operator Georgie Adeane will be offered a new one-year license, but has been 

told next year other businesses will also get the opportunity to make a bid.

Mayor Brad Pettitt said giving Ms Adeane an extra year was sensible, but despite the effort she’d put into building up the markets, she had exclusive use of public land.

“It’s also the case that over the past five seasons the city has supported the operation of the markets to the tune of about $30,000 a year,” Dr Pettitt said.

“Now that the markets are an established part of the South Freo summer we feel they should be able to stand on their own two feet with less support from the city.”

Ms Adeane will now have to pay for her power, bins and cleaning of toilets. The Chook asked if that would affect the markets’ viability but didn’t hear back before deadline.