Agenda item

Councillor Newcombe will provide the Task Group with feedback from the site visits that took place to the Leicester and Birmingham Markets.

Councillor Newcombe provided feedback from the site visits that had taken place to the Leicester and Birmingham Markets.

Birmingham Market – 29^th April 2009

Councillor Newcombe stated that he and Councillor Naylor had visited Birmingham Market on 29^th April.

Regarding the Indoor Market, this offered a good variety of stalls and was a bright and fresh environment and was located in a pedestrian only area with a clean street and generated a positive outlook. The Outdoor Market was not as good and had fewer stalls than Leicester, although waste material was deposited in a nearby compactor. No smell was evident around the compactor, unlike the smell around the refuse vehicle at Leicester. No information was gained as to waste collection arrangements from the Indoor Market. Good bus links existed to the rear of Birmingham Market and there was also a Service Yard.

Officers reported that Birmingham Market had been built some 5 years previously. The compactor was easier to manage with smaller amount of rubbish but Leicester Market generated around 5 tons of rubbish per working day.

Councillor Naylor stated that a full report would be circulated soon.

Leicester Market – 8^th May 2009

Notes of the Leicester Market Site Visit were circulated at the meeting. Certain issues were highlighted, particularly the refuse vehicle located at the rear of WH Smith, the number of cars that accessed the area around the outside of the market, the poor décor in the Indoor market and the decrepit condition of the underground storage area at the Indoor market.

The officers stated that, in contrast the Outdoor Market was successful and vibrant and people generally liked the visual impact. A number of compliments had been received from other local authorities and there was a need to balance the positives against the negatives. The Chair stated that it was a case of getting the balance right.

Discussion took place around the actions that were required and these are summarised as follows: -

• Remove refuse vehicle-look to alternatives, compactors maybe
• Deal with traffic problems
• Lighting within Market
• Street furniture to attract people back to market area
• Spruce-up Outdoor Market
• Look to re-develop Indoor Market
• Look to make Market an extension of The Lanes – attract shoppers to the area

• Look at possibility of modern approach of ‘demountable’ market, removal of stalls at end of day, utilise space for other purposes at times when market closed
• Seek advice from Hammersons, who developed the Highcross Centre/The Shires and also developed the new Birmingham Market, to look at Leicester Market and suggest improvements
• Look to create ‘wow factor’ at approaches to the market from High Street, Horsefair Street and The Lanes.

Regarding the indoor market the officers stated that another factor was the current ownership of the Corn Exchange building in the centre of the market that was currently partly empty. If this building was brought into City Council ownership indoor stalls could be located in that building and a compactor could be located at the back of the building. It was further suggested that enquiries be made about the vacant floors in the Corn Exchange building.

RESOLVED:

                        that the actions outlined above be noted.