Hull City Council’s planning committee last week approved an application that paves the way for a new wholesale market site for Hull Fruit Market.
The new storage and distribution units required by the market will be located at Priory Park East, in the western part of the city.
This is the latest phase in the eight-year saga of the market move. “We got through by the skin of our teeth,” said Phil Hough, managing director of Associated Growers, one of the Hull Fruit Market firms that will be moving. “We were told that the initial planning application would just be a formality, but it was rejected by the committee in August. This was our last go last week and it was accepted by seven votes to six.”
The traders at the market - the last fully independent wholesale fruit market in the UK whose traders are freeholders of their premises - now hopes to move to the new purpose-built site in about a year’s time. “The plans drawn up by developer Innovating Space Ltd will provide the market with modern, functional facilities away from the city centre, whilst still remaining in the city area,” said a Hull City Council spokeswoman.
She explained that the developer had to submit the new application with changes to address concerns of residents, which led to the planning committee turning down the previous application in August. Outline permission for industrial employment development at Priory Park was originally granted in 1991 and renewed in 2006.
Eight traders will make the move to the new site. Plans will go out to tender, with a view to building work beginning in February.
