A steel support beam will be signed to mark the latest phase of construction of the new Darley Street Market in Bradford city centre.
The beam will be signed by the Mayor of West Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin; the Leader of Bradford Council, Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe; Bradford Council’s Executive Member for Regeneration, Planning and Transport, Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw and Markets Manager at Bradford Council, Colin Wolstenholme.
The ceremony on Friday 2 September will take place on site where the signed beam will be lifted and bolted to the steel frame of the new market building.
The demolition phase of works at Darley Street Markets ended back in April and the new concrete foundations and forming of the two concrete lift cores have also been completed.
Works have begun to install the new structural steel frame of the building at the north end of the site in readiness for the first of the solid core precast concrete floor planks and staircases arriving at the end of September 2022. Groundworks and drainage work is continuing to the south of the plot along with the surface water and rainwater harvesting tanks.
The new market will have three trading floors each specialising in non-food, fresh and hot foods as well as an underground basement for deliveries and waste recycling.
The top floor will house an open plan food court for 13 hot food and drink vendors with seating for over 500 customers, an outdoor viewing balcony with seating.
A new market square will have eight large umbrellas for outdoor trading, a large outdoor screen and a stage for day and evening entertainment to support the local night-time economy.
The new market is being built by Kier on behalf of Bradford Council and will replace the Oastler and Kirkgate Markets and release land at the Oastler Market site for the new City Village which will include 1000 new homes.
The development is partly funded with £3m from the Government’s Getting Building Fund which is administered by the West Yorkshire Combined authority (WYCA).
Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe, leader of Bradford Council, said: “The new market on Darley Street and repurposing and revitalising the Top of Town area, creating the City Village, are key elements in plans to make the city centre a greener, healthier, vibrant, modern, attractive and sustainable place that will continue to be the economic core of the district.”
Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw, Bradford Council’s Executive Member for Regeneration, Planning and transport, said: “This is an exciting phase of the build for the new Darley Street Market. Strategically located in heart of the city’s central shopping area, it has been designed to be a light, airy and modern retail space and is packed with energy and environment saving features including smart heating, lighting and ventilation systems, rainwater capture technologies and green transport facilities. The project is expected to safeguard around 300 existing jobs and create approximately 400 new jobs.”
Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, said: “It’s safe to say that the new Darley Street Market is going to be a huge asset for the city. It’s an exciting time to live and work in the Bradford district and becoming the UK’s City of Culture in 2025 will lead to even more opportunities. I cannot wait for the Bradford Live venue to open.”
Dan Doherty, regional director from Kier Construction North & Scotland, said: “The steel signing marks an important point of the project as we begin to construct the steel frame. We will really start to see the building take shape now, which is exciting for us and the wider community.
“Throughout the build, we have been and continue to be fully committed to supporting the council’s wider regeneration objectives through the creation of onsite jobs and work experience placements, as well as the delivery of school and community engagement projects.”
