After two previously stalled attempts to build a new Birkenhead Market, Wirral Council looks to ‘move forward at pace’ as it awards £619,843 contract for design and enabling works. Tony McDonough reports
Twice-stalled plans for a new Birkenhead Market are back on track after Wirral Council awarded a new contract for the project.
Liverpool firm Krol Corlett has secured a £619,843 deal to provide design development and construction advice to enable works for the new market on the site of the former TJ Hughes store in The Pyramids shopping centre.
This agreement will ensure the refurbishment of the existing TJ Hughes retail unit can “move forward at pace”. It follows a formal procurement process which saw contractors invited to submit proposals for their vision for the new facility.
Two previous projects to create a new market have been shelved in the last two years. Plans for a new facility in the House of Fraser site on Grange Road were scrapped in December 2023.
And, late in 2025, councillors abandoned a £12m plan for a market in the former Argos outlet, despite having already spent £1.3m on it.
In March the council announced it had applied for planning permission to demolish the current market at Grange Precinct. Notices were placed on the market building saying the work could start from October – but only after all current market traders have relocated.
In November councillors on the Economy Regeneration and Housing Committee decided to relocate traders individually, or collectively, within refurbished units within Birkenhead town centre, and then to demolish the existing market site and create an outdoor market/event space/public realm.
Engagement with market traders is also continuing as discussions take place on the proposed market plans. The intention is to design a layout that maximises footfall and creates a “warm and welcoming environment” for the public.
Daniel Tebay, managing director of Krol Corlett, said: “This is a cornerstone project for the ongoing transformation of Birkenhead town centre and, as a Wirral resident, I know how important the market is to Birkonians.
“We’re midway through the transformation of the market hall in Accrington and appreciate exactly what stallholders and the public want from such a key asset.”
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Once the design for the scheme is completed it will be followed by a main contract for the refurbishment and fit out works, subject to agreed costs and programme.
Council leader Paula Basnett said: “The new market will play an important role in the future of Birkenhead town centre so we want to see a destination which builds on the very best of what we have already and creates an attractive and welcoming place to visit and shop in.”