Multi-million-pound market project to start

5 hours ago

Work on Burslem Market Hall will start on Tuesday

Historic England The inside of a derelict indoor market building. Damage to the ceiling is visible and greenery is growing out of the ground. — Work on Burslem Market Hall will start on Tuesday

A multi-million-pound transformation of a 19th Century market hall is due to start next week.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council said £4m worth of work on Burslem's market building would start on Tuesday and aimed to be completed by May 2027.

The restoration is part of the authority's commitment to safeguard and bring back into use some of the city's most treasured heritage buildings, with the money coming from the council, the government and Historic England.

The Grade II listed indoor market on Queen Street was built in 1879. It shut in 2003 after masonry dropped from the ceiling and it became unsafe, the council said.

Council leader councillor Jane Ashworth said: "It is absolutely fantastic to see work get underway on this very popular building that has so many memories for so many people and has such potential."

She added the aim was to use the market hall as soon as possible after the work was completed. In the short and mid-term this will be for temporary entertainment, leisure and hospitality use.

"Going forward we want to see it in permanent use, which is why we have brought in Next Phase Projects to help to make this happen," Ashworth said.

In January the city declared a "heritage emergency" over its historic assets

Historic England An aerial view of a town with an old indoor market building in the centre of the frame. — In January the city declared a "heritage emergency" over its historic assets

Next Phase Projects has worked on sites such as Altrincham Market and Market House in Greater Manchester.

It has also been involved in similar market hall regeneration projects across the country, including in Wigan, Rotherham, Burton and Wellington.

In January the council declared a "heritage emergency" and called for £325m of funding to protect its most significant historical assets.

A £3.5m project was begun to safeguard the nearby Grade II* listed Wedgwood Institute, and improvement works at the iconic School of Art also launched.

In January, Historic England withdrew funding of £1m for the Burslem Market Hall project because of concerns over the costs of materials and delays to the work.

The organisation instead offered a development grant of up to £200,000 to support planning and feasibility work.

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