Covent Garden Market Authority (CGMA) has announced the start of a two-year programme to determine how best to revamp its 30-year-old infrastructure with modern facilities.
With the initial site no longer meeting trading requirements, proceedings will kick-off with a forum to find out how tenants would wish to remedy this, before redevelopment plans are explored over the next two years.
Visiting the market last Thursday, food and farming minister Jeff Rooker gave his full support to the project.
He said: “The government supports this consultation and is committed to securing the future of one of the UK’s leading wholesale markets. New Covent Garden Market supplies hundreds of restaurants with fresh, seasonal produce and has had a profound effect on the economic and social life of the area.
“We firmly support the Authority’s proposals for redevelopment, which will ensure the market continues to play a crucial role in the UK’s food market.”
Chairman of CGMA Baroness Brenda Dean added: “We have said the tenants have to be at the heart of what a new market will look like and how it will operate and this consultation takes that commitment forward. This is a key step and one which we hope will help us provide a market which will be an exceptional trading environment for our tenants and their customers.”
Gary Marshall, chairman of Covent Garden Tenants Association welcomed the opportunity to consult in redesigning the market from scratch.
He said: “Mistakes were made when the original market was developed, but with a better understanding of the requirements this will not happen again. We intend to work closely with CGMA and Defra towards the long term future of a market which offers security for us, the tenants, and will allow our businesses to grow and develop.”
As well as offering new facilities for the traders, the redevelopment may also provide an opportunity to allow other businesses to occupy the space when the market is not trading, CGMA added.
