Plans to re-house Birmingham’s wholesale market are back on the agenda and could be considered by the council cabinet office as early as next month.
The project, which could cost £65 million in total, looked to be dead in the water a year ago but has been revived and could be operational by 2014.
But traders at the market believe the authorities are charging too much for the rent and the new site is “far from ideal”.
Birmingham City Council has said three options are on the table - a multi-million pound renovation of the Pershore Street site, the move or leaving the market to run down however, it is understood that the market is politically “bullet proof” as it employs around 3,000 people with even more reliant on it.
A full general meeting on the issue was held last week featuring the major players in the market as well as the council.
Steve Grogan, head of markets at the council, said the new site, named The Hub, will be in Whitton in Aston and will represent a “regional asset” with brand new facilities and opportunities to change the demographic through using retail markets as a draw.
He told FPJ: “The new complex will be similar to the current site and quite conventional but it will be new and clean. We are aiming for a service charge and rent combined of £15.06 per square foot but that may change. We are being very honest with the traders, they are getting a very good deal at the moment so it will cost a more realistic amount. At the meeting there was an initial negativity but once they saw the plans and acknowledged they are paying less than they should it was much more positive.”
Grogan is to resubmit the revised plans for the market to the Cabinet Office in December and has also drawn up a three, five and ten year investment plan to refurbish the current site should it rule in favour of that option. He estimates it will cost £8m to fix the roof.
Mark Tait of George Perry on the market said: “It is not a problem to move at all because the current market is going to rack and ruin. The prices quoted at the moment would be out of our range and we are one of the biggest traders on the market. Business is not exactly great for wholesale at the moment and the plans are unfeasible at the moment. Also the new location is far from ideal as it is very busy there with traffic.”
Grogan hit back, he said: The traffic where we are not is terrible with congestion, it is one of the worst spots in the city and the new market will have good links with the motorway.”
The proposals are part of Birmingham’s Big City plans and would see the Pershore Street site be turned into offices and a park as it bids to retain its status as the UK’s second city in more than name.
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