WORK on Shipley’s new market square is due to be completed next month – and a major City of Culture event will take place there shortly after.
When completed, it will include a much bigger town centre space, replacing the existing fixed market stalls that have stood in the centre for decades.
Bradford Council says the work is due to be completed by mid-September, despite concerns being raised last year that the market might not be completed until November -almost at the end of the district’s year as City of Culture.
Contractors’ cabins were recently removed from the market square as the project entered its final stages.
The work will be finished in time for the town centre to host Bloom – a major City of Culture event and one of the main events to be held in the Shipley constituency.
An artist’s impression of the new market (Image: Bradford Council)
Taking place on September 26 and 27, the event by performance group Upswing will involve a “large-scale circus performance celebrating the spirit of Bradford and its people”.
The market development, which is being delivered by Bradford Council, has been funded by £3m acquired through the Government-funded Shipley Towns Fund – a £25m pot of cash that was awarded by the Conservative Government to regenerate the town.
A further £1m has come from Streets for People funding from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority.
The market’s fixed stalls have been removed and will be relocated to Cannon Mills.
Future markets in Shipley will be held using gazebos and pop-up stalls.
A large canopy has been erected in the centre of the square to provide cover for traders.
The space, now more open, will be used to hold various town centre events and celebrations.
There will also be new green spaces and seating for the public.
It is hoped the new layout will make the market square more vibrant on non-market days, as opposed to when it has been dominated by rows of empty stalls for much of the week.
Originally, the plan was for the market to be completed in early 2025, but delays due to rising costs of materials meant the completion date was pushed back until May.
Then, later last year, the date was pushed back again, this time until late 2025.
But the latest announcement from the Council is that work should be completed in the coming weeks.
A Bradford Council spokesperson said: “The extensive work to transform Shipley Market Square is currently progressing well.
