£12m levelling up bid to revamp Eastgate Market

Gloucester will bid for around £12m of government funding to revamp Eastgate Market and the Greyfriars area.

Gloucester City Council leader Richard Cook (C, Kingsway) has taken the urgent decision to submit another bid the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

Full details of the plans have not been revealed to the public but they are understood to focus on providing an improved market area for traders and residents.

The council owns most of the land and buildings in and around the Eastgate Shopping Centre and Greyfriars area. They say this allows them to regenerate this part of the city.

Councillor Cook said traders will be looking forward to an improved market space. “This will help the city’s regeneration focus with redeveloping the Eastgate and Greyfriars area. It’s a great project and I hope it’s supported by all council members,” he said.

Councillor Jeremy Hilton (LD, Kingsholm and Wotton) said he wanted to debate the issue because he supported the bid and requested a copy of the document before it is submitted.

He said: “It would be useful to have a wider circulation as we’ve now got more time. If there are any comments that members want to make they can. I’d certainly like to see the document and read it properly.”

Councillor Tree Chambers-Dubus (L, Moreland) said it seems like a really good idea to take the opportunity to improve the market facilities. However, she raised concerns that the plans might “gentrify” the area and push out stallholders.

“The market hall is looking very tired and jaded. We are a bit concerned that it would be taken as an opportunity to almost gentrify the market,” she said.

“In fact, people love the market for the thing it does sell at the moment. If it was turned into something more fancy and stallholders felt they didn’t belong or were pushed out we just feel that would be a real shame.”

Culture and leisure cabinet member Andy Lewis (C, Quedgeley Severn Vale) said he has consulted with the traders and they are fully onboard. He said: “They know what is happening.

“We will stabilise the situation but nothing will be done without their consultation and backing. The market is important to us, we are a market city and have a market charter so we will hopefully give them what they want if we can but also give the public what they want.”

By Carmelo Garcia – Local Democracy Reporter

Gloucester News Centre – http://gloucesternewscentre.co.uk