Brighouse Open Market will move to a new, temporary home this autumn so work can begin on the rebuild of their permanent home on the canalside as part of the £19.1 million Town Deal transformation.
As part of the UK Government-funded Town Deal, Calderdale Council is working with the Brighouse Town Deal Board to deliver a new permanent market on the existing canalside site, which will have around 20 fixed stalls, each with water, drainage and power.
Planning permission for the permanent home was granted in March and, following a competitive tendering process, Triton Construction was appointed as the contractor to work on the market rebuild.
The temporary market will be in a section of Daisy Street car park, across Anchor Bridge from the existing site. Traders will move to the Daisy Street site in late September and the canalside site will close for around 12 months for the work to be undertaken.
The Daisy Street site will have permanent storage for stallholders, pop-up stalls and access to electricity, water and waste to ensure the food, drinks, crafts and other items on sale each Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday can continue to trade without disruption.
Colin Gordon, member of the Brighouse Town Deal Board and owner of Colin’s Café on Brighouse Market, said: “We’ve been working hard to ensure our market traders can continue to operate during the rebuild of Brighouse Open Market and it is great to now be making final preparations for the move to our temporary Daisy Street home.
“It is just two minutes’ walk from the existing market and I hope visitors and shoppers to Brighouse will cross Anchor Bridge and check us out when we make the move during the building of our new market, which we’re all excited to see completed.”
In addition to upgraded facilities, the new permanent market will also include a flexible central space which would accommodate additional pop-up stalls and could also be used for small events.
Alongside spaces to sit, rest and meet, with views over the canal, there will be new toilets for traders plus storage, to create a modern, attractive and vibrant market with the aspiration to open more days of the week in the future.
Other features will include an improved pedestrian area at the front and level access to the market; secure, decorative gates featuring a Brighouse-themed design; new cycle parking outside the market; and new entrances and exits to provide better connections to the town.
Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Transport, Cllr Sarah Courtney, said: “As part of the Brighouse Town Deal, we’re working to transform the Open Market, creating a modern upgraded facility to benefit both traders and shoppers. The market project is one part of a package of investment across the town centre which includes new pedestrian areas, resurfacing of roads and footways and new seating and planting.
“These improvements, being delivered in partnership with the Town Deal Board, will make Brighouse an even better place to visit both during the day and into the evening, whilst also protecting the town’s distinctive character.”
Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Resources, Cllr Silvia Dacre, said: “The exciting improvements at Brighouse Market have been carefully planned to create an attractive and more flexible space, which includes upgraded facilities to attract visitors, better support existing stallholders and encourage new traders.
“To ensure that trading can continue whilst these upgrades take place, we’ve identified a location for a temporary home for the market, just across the road from the market’s current location using part of Daisy Street car park. The market may be temporary, but it will have all the facilities to enable the market traders to continue to sell their food, drink and other great items.”
The market revitalisation is just one of the Brighouse Town Deal projects which aims to transform the town centre, making it a more attractive place to visit and spend time and money – benefitting residents, shoppers, visitors and businesses.
