Work starts on £7m Gillmoss market

Willmott Dixon has started on site with a 65,000 sq ft market hall, to house Liverpool’s fruit, vegetable and flower market which is relocating from Edge Lane.

The facility at Stonebridge Business Park will include parking, a café and public toilets.

There is also potential to expand on the site next door, owned by Liverpool City Council, to allow for a larger food hub as part of plans for the Stonebridge Cross Mayoral Development Zone.

The scheme is due to be complete in November 2017, and following a period of fitting out by the traders, will open early in 2018.

The council said that the cost of borrowing for the build of the new market will be paid for through rental income from the relocated market traders.

The fruit, vegetable and flower market’s existing site on Edge Lane is to be redeveloped for use as a Merseyside Police patrol station, while also providing space for a police vehicle repair facility, currently based at Smithdown Lane. Some land will also be used to rebuild the neighbouring St Cuthbert’s Catholic Primary School, and the remaining nine acres fronting Prescot Road are set to be used for new housing.

Cllr Malcolm Kennedy, cabinet member for regeneration, said: “This is great news for the traders who have been waiting a long time for the creation of an attractive new development with modern facilities.

“The existing market is in a really poor condition and the number of traders has been dwindling for a very long time and the aim of the move is to put it on a solid footing and enable it to expand in the future.

“We are also confident that we will be able to transfer the popular Sunday market and car boot sale over to the new location.”

Anthony Dillon, managing director of Willmott Dixon in the North, said: “As ever, our approach will be to ensure the work benefits local companies and sustains jobs; so far 60% of spend on previous projects has been with companies within the city region.”