Traders at Brighton’s Open Market are spending the next seven months in temporary premises as the site close to London Road is demolished for an £18 million redevelopment plan.
It comes as a £4.5 million refurbishment of Bolton Market has entered its second stage having been given council go-ahead.
For Brighton, the redevelopment is an opportunity to reverse the slow decline in trade the Open Market has had since the 1970s.
Brighton & Hove City Council is building a new, covered market with 44 permanent stalls with a focus on promoting fresh, healthy food from local producers.
The market is also designed to be a focal point of the area with a central square for visiting markets, temporary stalls, community activity, street art and entertainment.
There will also be 12 workshops and, on the south side, 87 affordable housing units are to be built on Francis Street.
The market will be run by a community interest company as a social enterprise for the benefit of the local community, which will contribute to the wider regeneration of the London Road area. The temporary market has been built on Francis Street to allow trading to continue while redevelopment is happening.
The refurbishment of Bolton Market is the latest in a series of victories for the Ashburner Street premises.
It won Best Food Market at the BBC Food & Farming Awards in 2011, 5 A DAY Supporter of the Year at the Re:fresh awards last year and prizes for best indoor market and tourism retailer in 2010 and 2009.
Bolton’s Environmental Services Department said it was looking to increase the amount of fresh food from 17,500 sq ft to over half of the 45,000 sq ft its three meat and fish, fruit and veg and miscellaneous halls cover.
Assistant director Malcolm Veigas said: “We want to put more fresh food in the venue. I want retail to reflect the diversity of the area and its communities but we’re full and we’ve been full for sometime. This means we will need to look at the miscellaneous section and see where we can make space without losing diversity. We will need political advise on that.”
A new open market is being built along with revised bus routes and footpaths to the site and a new entrance for the eastern market. The plans are said to have been met with a positive reaction from traders
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