TOWN Hall bosses are to be asked to agree to give “temporary financial support” to Warrington Market during the critical trading period during the regeneration of the Bridge Street quarter of the town centre.
The recommendation will be put to members of the borough council’s executive board in private at their meeting on Monday.
A report to be considered at the meeting points out that there are already difficult trading conditions in the current economic climate and these are likely to be particularly difficult over the next two years of building works in the immediate vicinity.
“The physical works associated with regeneration and the Bridge Street Quarter project will disturb some of the normal operations of our town centre,” the report adds.
A number of options for giving financial support to the market will be put to councillors – in a private section of the meeting because of the financial and commercial implications.
The market is just one part of the £107 million Bridge Street Quarter scheme. It produces a net pro9fit of around £750,000-a-year for the council and is seen as an essential part of the retail and commercial offer to residents and visitors.
It is regarded as probably the single remaining factor that provides the town centre with identity, character and heritage. It also provides employment for near 300 people, is a base for 72 local independent businesses and is used by 67 per cent of people visiting the town centre.
But it is too big for 21st century market retailing and the new market – to be built partly inside the iconic former Boots building on Bridge Street and partly on the site of the current market – will be smaller, focused on customer demand and responsive to changing retail and leisure trends.
During the two year construction period there will be a temporary market “shell” which is due to open in 2017.
“There is great commercial interest from existing traders and the wider market and r4etailing community for stalls in the temporary market, “ the report states. This is expected to trade successfully while the building work goes on.
Market traders have reacted positively but there is an interest in financial incentives to move their businesses twice and the costs associated with this.
Councillors will be assured that regular consultation is going on with market traders with a consultation group , chaired by the deputy leader of the council, meeting since October 2011.
Visits have been made to markets going through similar development at Blackburn, Sheffield, Manchester, Bury and Bolton
The temporary market hall
“Temporary financial support” plea for market
11 Comments
1 Comment
“The recommendation will be put to members of the borough council’s executive board in private at their meeting on Monday.” Well isn’t that just typical – cloaked decisions behind closed doors – I thought it was the last council that was renown for these tactics – or is it on the recommendation of council officers? If public money is being allocated shouldn’t the public be entitled to have details? Who actually is it who is asking for ‘temporary financial support’ to give to ‘Warrington Market’ and who or what is being referred to by the term ‘Warrington Market’? Is this supposed to be the Management of Warrington Market? the traders? or the developers? how much is being asked for? and what exactly does “temporary financial support” mean? Does it mean temporary in that money will be given over a temporary period of time? or temporary in that it will eventually be given back? Why the secrecy? From the wording of the above article there is no information to suggest that such a decision should
have any claim to a need for ‘privacy’. This hardly seems democratic, how do all our councillors feel about this type of decision making? will anyone be calling this into scrutiny so that the public can have details on what decisions the Council is making with regards to public money?