'Market needs good stalls not green space'

A £4m scheme to overhaul Shipley Market finally gets under way on Monday after repeated delays. It includes replacing fixed stalls with a small park, and adding a covered area where "pop-up" markets can be held. The BBC spoke to traders and shoppers about their views of the project.

The transformation of Shipley Market was originally due to be completed last December in time for the 2025 City of Culture.

But after a succession of delays, Shipley Town Council said that date had now moved to November this year.

As a result of the work, the existing fixed market stalls will be removed, with future markets held under a central canopy housing pop-up stalls.

New green spaces and benches will fill the gap left and the car park will become smaller with electric charging points replacing some of the spaces.

Beverley Holdsworth has been running her jewellery stall in Shipley Market for a year.

She said: "I think it will kill it, I'm not in favour of it at all.

"I just think people will stop coming through. I think they would have been better spending the money rebuilding the stalls and making them look nicer."

Robert Proctor, 60, has run his books and DVDs stall for 12 years.

He said: "According to them (the council) it's not supposed to affect us, but I have a feeling that it will do.

"The market stalls as they are, even at this stage, they could be renovated and then leave it as it is.

"I think it's going to be a bit of an upheaval, I really do."

June Liddle, 69, is from Shipley but now lives in Saltaire.

She said: "Personally I'd rather have it as a market, fruit and veg, back how it used to be. A meat wagon used to come. It was really good.

"But putting a park here, in the middle of Shipley. Why?

"You're just going to get all the drunks and drug addicts using it. And it'll get messed up and it'll be no good."

Her friend Joan Davey, 80, has lived in the town all her life.

She said: "They killed Shipley town centre when they did away with the toilets.

"I was born-and-bred here and I've seen Shipley gradually die.

"They've removed all the nice cherry trees.

"The arcade, that used to be lovely. It had a pond in it, a fountain, shops all around it. And it was buzzing. It's dead now."

Carol Mitchell used to be a trader on the market.

She said: "We don't need seating, we don't need grass areas. We need good shops.

"Advertise and give these traders a chance. I've worked on the markets, I know how hard it is.

"It's not fair. You're talking about people's livelihoods here."

The project is being partly funded by the Shipley Towns Fund, a £25m government scheme to boost regeneration.

The rising cost of materials has been blamed for the delays.

Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw is from Bradford Council which is working alongside the town council on the project.

He said: "We've seen the amazing results of the public realm work we've undertaken in the city centre and we want to bring those same principles into the heart of Shipley.

"Removing the old market stalls will not only improve the look of the town centre but also make it feel safer and more welcoming, particularly at night."

He said the "flexible" outdoor space would increase footfall, support shops and restaurants, as well as help businesses to thrive.

He added: "This is a significant step towards creating a vibrant and adaptable town centre with a thriving market."

An accompanying project to reopen Shipley's public toilets has been delayed.

Work was due to begin last October, but the procurement of the contractors to carry out the toilet works was not likely to conclude until mid-February, according to the council.

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