Work is underway on the relocation of Liverpool’s ‘Greatie’ market on Great Homer Street to a new, £2.2m facility on Dryden Street.
Demolition work has started on buildings at 18-22 Dryden Street, creating space for the delivery of a new outdoor market with 178 outdoor stalls, some of which will be covered by a canopy to provide shelter from the elements.
The new market Рwhich is being built by Kier Construction Рwill also see an existing building at 16 Dryden Street being refurbished, to provide space for 78 indoor stalls, a caf̩ area, toilets and an office.
And land on Virgil Street to the south of the market will be laid out to provide 163 car parking spaces and 61 van parking bays.
The new Dryden Street market, a short distance from the Great Homer Street site, has been designed in partnership with market trader representatives, and is expected to be operational by late June/early July 2014.
The existing market site is being released for redevelopment as part of Project Jennifer regeneration scheme, which will revitalise the area and bring in major investment which has been needed for decades.
Liverpool City Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Councillor Malcolm Kennedy, said: “This will be a fantastic facility, which will allow us to deliver a better quality market, complementing the wider development at Great Homer Street. There is plenty of room here to provide a market that is as big as the existing one, with parking for customers and traders, all on the same site.
“We have been talking to traders for months, taking on-board their views and where practical, incorporating their ideas for Dryden Street into the plans. And this is an on-going conversation: we will continue to talk and to listen to their views about how we can further improve the scheme.
“We are determined to make the market a tourist attraction, which is why we are delivering a self-contained site with space for coaches to park safely, located close to a key gateway in and out of the city. And we are building in room for expansion, using property already in council ownership.
“It has been challenging to meet the needs of so many traders, but we’ve worked extremely hard to deliver plans which respond to their needs. I’m confident that once the new facility is completed, traders will see it as the right way forward to build a successful, thriving future for the market.”
The Dryden Street scheme will deliver 78 indoor stalls, 178 outdoor stalls, 163 car parking spaces and 61 van parking spaces. There is scope to change the actual mix of stall numbers and sizes and the split between car parking and van parking. Consultation with traders on these issues continues, as well as over the possibility of expanding the new market site.
The Project Jennifer scheme, which is being led by regeneration specialist St. Modwen in partnership with Liverpool City Council, will transform the Great Homer Street area in north Liverpool. It will create an estimated 1,000 new jobs, new homes, significant public realm improvements and includes a new flagship Sainsbury’s supermarket, which will be the largest supermarket in the city.
For more information, visit www.greathomerstreet.co.uk
About the relocation of Great Homer Street market
• Great Homer Street market is an important component of the Project Jennifer scheme. Delivering a workable, feasible market scheme, within the timescales, is crucial to the wider regeneration programme.
• The new market site on Dryden Street site is close to the Wallasey Tunnel entrance and will be well signposted and advertised to help attract visitors and coach parties from outside the area. The site is also well served by regular buses.
• Liverpool City Council and its partners will continue to work with retailers along Great Homer Street to discuss support measures during the construction phases of the overall Project Jennifer development
• The market scheme is costing £2.2m, including the associated highway works. The city will use £381,000 of Growth Point funding to contribute to the cost, with the remaining £1.8m coming from council borrowing.
• It is anticipated that an agreement will be reached with Geraud Markets Liverpool Ltd to operate the new market and to contribute to its costs. The market will also generate a limited amount of extra business rates from that already received at the current site.
