Yahoo News Plan to list ‘under threat’ Bury market hall to prevent it being demolished
A heritage group has submitted a listing application for the threatened Bury market hall which was forced to close last year after crumbling concrete was found in the roof. The C20 Society (Twentieth Century Society), who are behind the listing application, say the hall is’ one of a small number of virtuoso post-war market buildings, that combined technical innovation with civic placemaking in new towns and city centres’.
In March, Bury Council said there is ‘no quick fix’ to the considerable structural failings at the hall. They said reports suggest that dealing with Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC), and carrying out other essential repairs to the existing building, could cost at least £6m.
The council is currently considering five options for the market, only one of which proposes refurbishment. Designed by Fairhurst & Son, the indoor hall had traded continuously for more than 50 years but has been empty since around 40 traders were suddenly told to leave in October 2023.
The hall closed following the discovery of RAAC in the external loading bay and market roof, specifically the roof planks which span the in-situ concrete down-stand beams. The C20 Society said they are concerned that the council may pursue demolition, believing this to be their only viable option.
The society, said: “The designation for Bury Market Hall would protect the building from demolition and encourage the council to proceed with a conservation-led refurbishment – replacing the RAAC in a way that preserves the building’s undoubted architectural interest. It has a remarkable double cantilevered pre-stressed concrete ‘gullwing’ roof, enveloped by a curtain wall of glass, which provides a completely unobstructed internal area for market stalls, covering an area of 2,806 sqm.”
Built between 1969 and 1971, the market hall accommodated up to 140 stalls and was the centrepiece of the post-war redevelopment of Bury, which sought to establish a new commercial and social centre in the town. The new market hall replaced the town’s Edwardian Market which burned down in 1960s.
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Four post-war market halls, Coventry Market, Pannier Market in Plymouth, Smithfield Poultry Market and Queensgate Market, Huddersfield, have been listed in the United Kingdom to date. The application is to have the market hall protected and added to the National Heritage List for England.
The five options the council is currently considering are:
Refurbish the existing Market Hall building: a full overhaul of the current building to extend its life for another generation
Build a new Indoor Market: a brand new, future proofed building to develop and secure the future of the market
Construct an outdoor covered market: a Preston style covered market with a unique offer linking into the Mill Gate development
Create storage container kiosk-style market stalls: with landscaped areas between the units
Extend the outdoor market area: extending the proposed new canopy project to expand the three-day market
