Birkenhead Market Update

Wirral Council has applied for planning permission to demolish the Birkenhead Market building.

The application is a standard step which needs to be completed as part of plans to relocate the market’s traders into the nearby former TJ Hughes site.

Notices have been placed on the market building to explain that the council is seeking permission to demolish the structure from October, only after all current market traders have relocated.

Last November the council’s Economy, Regeneration and Housing Committee gave the green light to move forward with relocating the Market to the former TJ Hughes site following consultation with Market traders.

Since then council officers have been developing plans to accommodate market traders collectively at the new location and create a new market offer.

Additional options for relocating some traders into individual retail units within the Grange Precinct are also being developed where this is the preference for particular businesses. 

The new way forward for the Market follows a number of meetings involving traders and members of Wirral Council’s leadership, and further engagement with traders will continue as plans develop.

Work to obtain robust costings and timelines to demolish the existing market building is currently underway.

The demolition of the current building will allow for a second phase of work which will look to repurpose the site, tying into other projects planned in Birkenhead.

Relocating the market to the former TJ Hughes site will help ensure wider town‑centre improvement work can progress, while plans for the existing market site are developed in line with other projects in the town centre.

Further updates on the relocation of the market will be provided in the coming weeks.