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Halifax Borough Market works kickstart high street transformation

Halifax Borough Market

Improvement works have begun at Halifax Borough Market this week, marking the start of the first major project funded by the Future High Streets Fund in Halifax.

Revitalising the stunning Victorian market hall is a key part of the £11.7 million Future High Streets work planned across Halifax town centre.

The Grade II* listed Borough Market, which first opened in 1896, will benefit from over £5 million being invested into:

  • Restoration of the historic façade and repairs to the beautiful roof which is a key heritage feature.
  • Improved entrances and routes inside the market to make it easier to explore and to help people enjoy the market’s many features and stalls, and to better link the top and bottom ends of the town.
  • Improved areas for events outside of market trading hours, including pop-up units and refurbished toilet facilities.

The re-roofing part of the project is now underway, in response to feedback from traders about boosting the trading and visitor experience. The works will help to make the market hall warmer in winter, fix leaks, create more natural light and enable better ventilation control. These sustainability features will support the Council’s climate action priority and will help achieve Calderdale’s target to be carbon neutral by 2038 (with significant progress by 2030).

The roof works are expected to take around 18 months to complete and will be carried out in phases to minimise disruption.

This is the first step of the wider plan to broaden the appeal of the market, so that it becomes a place where more people want to visit, work, shop, spend their leisure time and be entertained, as well as inspiring the next generation of talented market traders.

The market transformation, along with an exciting range of other planned projects, is thanks to the £18 million awarded to the Council in December 2020 from the Government’s Future High Streets Fund, to support town centre improvements in Halifax (£11.7 million) and Elland (£6.3 million).

Both the Halifax and Elland programmes will build on the distinctiveness and enterprise that are key features of the Vision 2024 for Calderdale. The town centres will be reinvigorated as destinations offering a unique and inclusive range of leisure, retail and cultural experiences, with independent shops, events and facilities for the local community and visitors – in keeping with the new CultureDale brand and the Council’s priority to build strong, resilient towns.

There will also be a focus on contributing to Calderdale’s net zero carbon future, with more opportunities for sustainable and active travel, and improved links between the town centres and green spaces to help people access nature to improve their health and wellbeing.

Cllr Silvia Dacre, Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Resources, said:

“Conserving and breathing new life into historic buildings is an important part of the Halifax Future High Streets programme. The magnificent Borough Market is one of our key heritage buildings and we’re thrilled that major improvements are now underway. These will ensure the market retains and enhances its role at the heart of the town centre.”

Cllr Sarah Courtney, the Council’s Cabinet Member for Towns, Engagement and Public Health, added:

“This is the first milestone in the wider programme for Halifax, with many more exciting projects planned, such as investment into the Victoria Theatre, George Square and the historic alleyways, linking to the top of the town and ensuring vibrant, welcoming and greener spaces. We’re hoping to encourage visitors and residents to move around the whole town, rather than visiting just one area, to make the most of Halifax’s fabulous existing retail and cultural assets, and also giving people the opportunity to be more active in their day-to-day lives.

“The significant Future High Streets investment in both Halifax and Elland, and the range of other funding across the borough, shows great confidence in, and commitment to, the sustainable future of our towns that mean so much to local people, businesses and the inclusive economic recovery.”

For more information about the planned Future High Streets projects in Halifax and Elland, and the other major investment and projects happening throughout Calderdale, please visit www.calderdalenextchapter.co.uk(external link)

Think you know Halifax? Think again. It’s an inspiring time for the town. Discover your part in it. Visit www.calderdalenextchapter.co.uk/think-you-know-halifax(external link)

To see how you could be part of the next generation of market traders and the market improvements, please visit www.calderdale.gov.uk/v2/businesses/become-market-trader to find out more about the Council’s market trader recruitment campaign.

The year 2024 marks Calderdale’s 50th birthday and there are less than two years to go. Where do we want to be by 2024? What’s our ambition and what will be different? Find out more at www.calderdale.gov.uk/vision

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