Seddon picked for Birkenhead Market
Wirral Council’s director of regeneration and place has given the nod for the contractor to carry out pre-construction services, advancing the conversion of former retail space at 1 Princes Pavement.
Previously occupied by Argos, the unit, next to the bus station, is earmarked for a new market hall for Birkenhead. Wirral has secured £14m from the Future High Street Fund to bankroll the project.
Four experienced contractors had bid for the work and following evaluation by the project team and advisors, Seddon Construction was selected.
Corstorphine & Wright is the architect for the market at the Grange Shopping Centre. It will occupy close to 33,000 sq ft with 13 retail units, 10 food retailers, a 1,400 sq ft event space, bakery, cocktail bar, coffee shop, and seating.
Leader of Wirral Council, Cllr Paul Stuart, said: “Progress on the new Market is an important part of our wider plans for Birkenhead so it’s great to see this continuing to move forward.
“We are committed to delivering a vibrant and popular new Birkenhead Market and this is part of a massive investment in the town and its central shopping area.
“Our intention is to ensure Birkenhead is a destination people want to visit as part of attracting the inward investment which will bring high-quality jobs for our residents, give extra stimulus to the local economy, boost business opportunities, and through all this foster economic growth.
“In this way we can make Wirral an even better place where people want to live, work and raise their families.,”
The “soft strip” demolition of the unit at Princes Pavement was completed late last year, opening the way for fit-out work starting for the new market.
This had followed engagement with community and traders on proposals for the market including presenting detailed design images showing how the new revitalised Birkenhead Market could look, including potential layout for traders’ stalls.
This latest contract is to finalise the design of the new Birkenhead Market and inform a fixed price for the next construction phase, at a contract price of £188,487.31 with a contingency of £50,000 built in to cover any additional surveys that are identified as a requirement for design development.
The target delivery programme indicates a practical completion date for the main base build works of March 2026.
