Kerrie Humphrey from Hi Viz events has been running an artisan and farmers market at Corrimal Park on Wednesdays for the past year, but was told on Monday by a council officer her licence would not be renewed after May 5.

She was advised in writing if she wanted to hold a market there again it would need to go out to tender and she would need to reapply, information that conflicted with her last correspondence.

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Ms Humphrey was devastated by the shock news as she had been emailing the council since January to find out how to extend the market's operation for another two years, but was told to wait for a "sign off" by a different department of council to allow her to use the land.

"I emailed them around six times ... but didn't get any outcome so I just thought they'd let me continue to trade," she told the Mercury.

"I was just bewildered by the fact there was no real legitimate reason, I had no idea. If they had of said [the market] just 'didn't work' or they were 'redeveloping the park' or 'moving in a different direction' that would have given me a little bit more clarity."

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The Mercury put a series of questions to the council's media team on Tuesday, after which Ms Humphrey received a phone call to say her licence would be reinstated for another four weeks and Wollongong City Council would work with her "until they decide what they will do about the tender of licence".

"The way they handled the whole thing was insensitive to any small business," Ms Humphrey. "It really puts businesses like mine off dealing with local councils if this is the treatment we are given."

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A council spokeswoman responded to the Mercury's questions late Tuesday and said the council was "currently working within the legislative framework on options going forward for market operations".

"We will continue to work with the current operator on interim measures that support the activation of this important community space in Corrimal," the spokeswoman said.

"Longer term opportunities will be actively pursued over coming weeks using the pilot experience as the basis for a formal open process."

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