A report to the council’s Cabinet on Friday, October 28, is recommending a contract be awarded to Willmott Dixon to construct the new facility at Stonebridge Business Park. Tony McDonough reports.
Liverpool’s fruit, vegetable and flower market is set to move from Old Swan to Gillmoss in a £7m plan being considered by the city council.
A report to the council’s Cabinet on Friday, October 28, is recommending a contract be awarded to Willmott Dixon to construct the new facility at Stonebridge Business Park.
The new 80,000 square feet market would include parking, a café and public toilets, replacing the existing rundown building off Edge Lane in Old Swan.
It will complement other nearby developments including the new £12m Geopost DPD parcel facility which has created 250 jobs and new industrial units being built by St Modwen and scheduled for completion in February 2017.
There is also the potential for meat and fish traders – based in a building off Prescot Road not owned by the city council – to transfer to the new location in a further phase of the development.
It is the latest phase of a significant investment programme which has already seen a new Great Homer Street ‘Greatie’ market opening, while the revamped St Johns Market will open on November 14 following a £2.5m facelift.
Cabinet member for regeneration, Councillor Malcolm Kennedy, said: “This is a really exciting scheme which I know traders are delighted with.
“The existing market is in a really poor condition and the number of traders has been dwindling for a very long time, so we have been working hard to identify a new site which will put it on a solid footing and enable it to expand in the future.
“We are also confident that we will be able to transfer the popular Sunday market and car boot sale over to the new location.”
Around 10 acres of the fruit, vegetable and flower market’s existing site is set to be redeveloped as a new home for a Merseyside Police patrol hub, while also providing space for the Force’s vehicle repair facility, currently based at Smithdown Lane.
Some land will also be used to rebuild the neighbouring St Cuthbert’s Catholic Primary School, while the remaining nine acres fronting Prescot Road is set to be used for new housing.