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New fruit and veg market
plan moves forward
A new £7 million food hub to house
Liverpool’s fruit, vegetable and flower market is set to be built in Gillmoss.
A report to the council’s Cabinet, on Friday, 28 October 2016, 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 will 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 £12 million
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 14 November following a £2.5 million.
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.
This is all part of our wider aim of driving up the standard and quality of
Liverpool’s markets now we’ve taken back control of them.”
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 9 acres fronting
Prescot Road is set to be used for new housing.
Cllr Kennedy added:- “We have come up with a comprehensive regeneration
scheme for the site off Edge Lane site which will enable Merseyside Police to
relocate from Smithdown Lane, allows for the much needed redevelopment of St
Cuthbert’s Catholic Primary School as well as the construction of new homes on a
brownfield site.”
The final piece of the jigsaw will see the City Council enter into a land swap
agreement with Merseyside Police and see the site at Smithdown Lane used to
expand the City’s 'Knowledge Quarter' as part of 'Project Paddington', with a new
development of office accommodation to attract businesses and jobs.
Subject to planning approval, it is expected that construction of the new market
could start by the end of the year and open in September 2017 as part of the
Stonebridge Cross Mayoral Development Zone.
The cost of borrowing for the build of the new market will be paid for through
rental income from the relocated market traders.
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