Demolition Notice Received for Market Hall

Letters are set to be sent to owners of properties near the Market Hall as a notice of demolition has been received by Bromsgrove District Council.

As the applicant the Council has to inform adjacent property-occupiers that demolition of the Market Hall is expected to be undertaken in April and possibly completed by the end of May.

The space will be used by the Council as a temporary car park until a buyer for the prime location in the town centre has been secured or agreement has been reached with a developer for joint development of the site.

Last year the Council moved the market stalls to the High Street and since then takings targets have been smashed and the traders’ and shopkeepers’ feedback on the changes have been positive.

Councillors made the decision to close the Market Hall in 2008 as part of plans to regenerate the town centre.

Over the last year action was taken to secure a buyer or developer for the site but the current economic climate meant that no deal was sealed.

In a bid to make the site more attractive to future firms, the Council decided to knock down the market hall building which has been losing £4,000 a month for the past year.

Council Leader Roger Hollingworth: “If we are to improve this town then change has to happen.

“The market is currently costing us money and without the development, because of the loss of over £2m from the listing of Parkside School, we will be unable to redevelop the High Street.

“It makes sense to utilise the site in the meantime as a car park which will generate income – or at worst cost the ratepayer nothing.

“These plans have been given a lot of consideration over the last two years.

“A minority who are jumping on the bandwagon to save the market hall at the last minute are standing in the way of progress despite the rest of Bromsgrove District residents who want the regeneration to go ahead.”