AT its peak there were nearly 3000 stalls selling, it seemed, everything under the sun. Busloads of bargain hunters visited Ingliston Sunday market.
But the facility is to move from its home of 30 years at the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland (RHASS) on the outskirts of Edinburgh.
A new home is expected to be announced soon.
Spook Erection, operator of the market, confirmed yesterday that its agreement with the RHASS would come to an end in September.
The RHASS last year said it did not intend to curtail its 20year development programme, despite the recent white paper on the future of air transport which suggested the society would have to move from Ingliston to allow for the expansion of Edinburgh airport.
Yesterday, Spook said the decision was not connected to a number of high-profile operations by trading standards officers to seize counterfeit goods.
In November, one of the largest raids by trading standards officers in Scotland descended into mayhem as stallholders selling illegal goods ran off.
Shoppers took thousands of bootleg copies of DVDs and games worth pounds-2m.
A spokesman for Spook said the market would operate at its current site for the last time on September 25. "We are planning to move the market to another location and are pleased to announce that negotiations are well advanced. Further announcements will be made at an appropriate time.
"Spook has operated at Ingliston on Sundays since July 1973 and at its height there were 2787 trading units operating on one market day."
Alastair Paisley, Edinburgh's Conservative economic development spokesman, said it would adversely affect the city if the market relocated outwith the region.
He said: "While some people might say it's just a lot of dodgy CDs and DVDs, a lot of people love to go to Ingliston with their families on a Sunday."
John Longstaff, a local councillor, said he was surprised the company had decided to move, but urged it to stay in the Lothians area. "It seems very strange to me and there's no obvious reason to do this.
"It's a bit of a shock. Nothing is going to happen at the airport for years."
Traders at the site, which still draws about 500 stalls and carboot traders weekly, said they were amazed by the decision.
Donald Anderson, leader of Edinburgh City Council, who worked at a haberdashery and fabrics stall at the market as a teenager, described the move as the end of an era.
Spook hinted that developments could be unveiled soon.
The spokesman added: "Spook has delayed making this announcement for as long as possible, but now that it is believed that the proposals for redevelopment are likely to become public knowledge in the near future, the statement is being made now."
Plans to build a new runway and passenger facilities at Edinburgh Airport are not expected to get underway until 2013.
When Alistair Darling, transport minister, announced the airport proposals in December 2003, it was thought a new runway at Edinburgh would require the RHASS to leave Ingliston.
A spokesman for RHASS confirmed the market was moving. The spokesman added that Ingliston and its Royal Highland centre generates at least pounds-80m a year for the Edinburgh economy and pounds-200m for Scotland.
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