A CAMPAIGN has been launched to keep Chester market by the town hall.
Friends of Chester Market opposes council plans to relocate the market to a brand new £7m building on Frodsham Street car park as part of changes brought about by the Northgate Development.
Chairman Vic Button, of Button’s Electrical, said a 600-strong petition had been signed by loyal customers.
He said: “At their presentation at Chester Town Hall, visiting world experts ULI (Urban Land Institute) said Chester has long been recognised as the jewel in the crown of the North West of England, thanks to its Roman heritage, cathedral and historic centre and that Chester market should be maintained in its present position next to the town hall, they warned the council of neglecting Chester’s heritage and turning it into ‘any town’.
“But despite ULI’s warning, Chester council leaders seem intent on moving Chester market of the town centre where it has been since Saxon times and is considering putting it in a two storey building on the disabled car park in Frodsham Street with very few facilities.”
Council leader Mike Jones believes most market traders are in favour of relocation. He says moving would also avoid the inevitable disruption to trade that would result from being next to a building site while the Northgate Development was under construction.
“Do they spend two years sitting on Town Hall Square in outdoor market units freezing to death in the winter and cooking in the summer – not ideal if you’re a butcher or a cheese shop, or do we look at how we can get you out of that development? Let’s find a location, let’s create a really good building for you and we are investing potentially £7m in this, so it’s not cheap.”
