Go-ahead for Baltic bazaar

Planning permission has been granted for a Sunday market in the mothballed Cains Brewery site in Liverpool as part of the plan to attract new visitors to the Baltic area of the city centre.

Market operator Baltic Yards, established by Mo Maghazachi, director of public relations firm Archetype, plans to draw in dozens of independent traders to its Sunday openings. The vision for Baltic Yards was inspired by famous city retail attractions like Philadelphia's Reading Terminal, London's Camden Market and Barcelona's Boqueria.

Maghazachi commented: "We are delighted to have been granted planning permission by Liverpool City Council and we look forward to working with the city in obtaining the relevant licenses prior to us opening in November. We are currently in discussions with quite a number of independent retailers and we look forward to talking to many more over the coming weeks."

The bazaar will provide space for independent retailers, designers, artisans, food producers, ethnic crafts as well as other traditional traders.

Baltic Yards is being planned as a Sunday event only, but organisers see opportunities to use the space at Cains for a variety of other creative uses including events and exhibitions.

Sudgahara Dusanj, director of Cains Brewery Village, added: "The bazaar will be a massive boost for the area and we look forward to developing attractions around the market-style offering that Baltic Yards will bring."

Baltic Yards is now in discussion with Liverpool City Council about securing the relevant licenses and seeks to be open in November.

Baltic Yards will be based at the warehouse at Cains Brewery site and will create a new independent retail centre as part of an advanced phase of the multi-million pound Brewery Village development project. GVA and Colliers International are currently seeking a developer on behalf of Cains for a £150m mixed-use project anchored by a cinema and a supermarket.