Page 29 - Market Times October 2024

MARKET TIMES • OCTOBER 2024 29
Manchester’s Church Street Market has
closed its shutters for the final time
Church Street after a £300,000 revamp in 2010
MANCHESTER’S much-loved Church Street Market has closed down after a devel- oper acquired the site and the city council was unable to find an alternative location.
Established more than 50 years ago, the quirky market was sandwiched between the Arndale Centre, which houses the city’s main market, and the trendy Northern Quarter.
Back in 2010, Manchester City Council spent £300,000 revamping it after the market, located at the foot of a 1960s tower block and once a bustling concern, had become “tired and ramshackle”.
The writing was on the wall when the site was acquired by a developer, MRP, a couple of years ago. At that point the number of traders had dwindled to
three including McCall Organics, a popular
greengrocers that had been run by Mark and Norma McCall for more than 20 years on the market and had been a family business for more than 53 years. Another popular stall, Manchester Bookbuyers, had been run by Eddie Hopkinson for more than 50 years.
The site is earmarked for a 22-storey building with 361 apartments and shops, restaurants and takeaways on the ground floor.
At the time Manchester City Council said the new owner was obliged to include provision for the traders or find a suitable trading site nearby.
But the market shut up shop for good on September 14.
Posting on Instagram before the closure, McCalls Organics wrote: “This too shall pass. Our site is to be developed and with no suitable premises to go to, we will be closing the shutters for the final time on September 14th.”
A spokesperson for the city council said: “Church Street has been a popular market in the heart of the Northern Quarter for some years, and we have worked with those traders in an attempt to relocate their businesses since it was first announced in 2022.
“Unfortunately, after extensive efforts we were unable to find an alternative market site that suited all parties, and we have since agreed a settlement as part of the closure process. We’d like to thank the traders for their service to our city.”
Brighouse traders move to temporary home as work starts on new £3 million market
TRADERS at Brighouse open market in West Yorkshire have relocated to a temporary home to allow work to start on a new perma- nent market on the existing canalside site.
The temporary market is on a section of Daisy Street car park across Anchor Bridge from the existing site.
The traders have been provided with access to electricity, water and waste services at their new home to ensure the food, drink, crafts and general traders can continue to operate every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday.
Planning permission was granted in March for the new market as part of the £19.1 million Brighouse Town Deal Transformation.
The new market will have around 20 fixed stalls, each with power, water and drainage. It will also include a flexible central space to accommodate additional pop-up stalls and small events. There will also be space to sit, rest and meet, with views over the canal. There will be new toilets for traders plus storage.
Other features will include an improved pedestrian area at the front and level access to the market. There will be secure, decorative gates with a Brighouse- themed design, new cycle marking outside the market and new entrances and exits to provide better connections to the town.
Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Transport, Coun Sarah Courtney, said: “As part of the Brighouse Town Deal, we’re working to transform the open market, creating a modern, upgraded facility to benefit both traders and
What the new Brighouse market will look like
shoppers.
“The market project is one part of a package of
investment across the town centre which includes new pedestrian areas, resurfacing of roads and footways and new seating and planting.”
Colin Gordon, who owns Colin’s Café on the market and is a member of the Brighouse Town Deal Board, said a lot of hard work had gone in to ensure the traders could continue to trade during the rebuild.
He said: “Our new Daisy Street home is just two minutes’ walk from the existing market and I hope visitors and shoppers to Brighouse will cross Anchor Bridge and check us out.”
Calderdale Council’s Cabinet member for Resources, Coun Silvia Dacre, said: “The market may be only temporary, but it has all the facilities to enable the market traders to sell their food, drink and other great items.”