New home for Shongweni Farmers’ Market
The Shongweni Farmers' Market is to have a beautiful new home.
BREATHTAKING views of the surrounding valley, magnificent waterfalls and the calls of local birds greet us as we survey the 30 acre property in the Shongweni Valley that is to be the new home of the popular Shongweni Farmers’ Market.
Having outgrown the old site at the corner of Kassier Road and Alverstone Road, Christine Standeaven is keen to turn the new site into a visitors paradise where, besides the farmers’ market that people have come to know and love, there will be a craft hall open seven days a week, a plant nursery and coffee house, designated picnic areas with spectacular views, hiking trails and bird watching. A place where people can enjoy being one with nature.
At present there is a lot of work to be done as the land is become overgrown with vegetation, the wetland clogged and the only building destroyed by vagrants. But this hasn’t deterred Christine who can see the vast potential in the property.
“The new property is three times as big as the current site and only 8kms from the old market and with easy access from the N3. We want it to be not just a farmers’ market but a craft and tourist destination and a place where moms can bring their children with their prams and bikes and enjoy the trails and amazing views,” said Christine.
The whole property will have electric fencing with a palisade fencing inside to ensure full security and no safety issues along the edges of the property that plummets into the valley below. There will also be ample parking as one large portion of the property has been allocated for this purpose.
A craft hall is currently being designed by an architect which will accommodate crafters seven days a week and will not be affected by inclement weather. “We are going to give the craft hall an old Natal verandah style,” said Christine.
Christine is hoping to have the new market up and fully running within the next two years, and if all goes according to plan maybe as soon as December 2014.
“We want to take the farmers’ market to the next level, still simplistic but beautiful,” she said.
