PLANS are afoot to start an open-air market on a largely disused site in Harrow

Large parts of the Kodak site, off Headstone Drive, have laid empty for months after the photographic firm moved parts of tis operations out of the borough.

Now, a planning application has been submitted to start an open-air market on a part of the land.

The market will run on Wednesdays to Sundays each week between 9am and 3pm, with around 100 stalls offering a variety of goods.

Max Quagliozzi, manager of FCM Markets which has submitted the bid, said the move would be a welcome boost to the local economy.

He said: “A new open air market provides an opportunity for local people to start their own retail businesses with small overheads.  The market will also create a number of new jobs, such as parking supervisors, security staff and management, which can only be beneficial during these tough economic times.”

The plans, if accepted by Harrow Council, will be for three years, and signal further delays by Land Securities, who own the site, in formulating the future of the Kodak site.

The company took over the land in January 2008 and pledged to seek out developments which would improve that area of Harrow.

However, the effects of the credit crunch appear to have delayed any movements on the site, despite rumours of a Harrow Police and Harrow Council both eyeing up the land for new headquarters.