Bolton Market to get new food hall and outdoor market as big extension approved

A new food hall and an outdoor area for up to 46 stalls are to be built at Bolton Market. At a meeting this week, Bolton Council’s planning committee backed the proposals for a new food hall extension which will be built on the New Street side of the market.

It will partially reuse the existing structure and have a substantial glazed area.

The new food hall would contain nine food and drink stalls together with a large indoor seating area. Seating would also be installed within a covered colonnade which can be closed off at night.

This area would face onto an external area that could be used for pop-up market stalls and additional seating while still functioning as an access road and loading area when required. The new outdoor market will provide 46 pitches for traders in two rows, constructed from steel with a metal canopy and aligned with the east-west link through the site.

The market would be accessed from the new food hall extension and the existing north-east entrance will get a new canopy and signs. The existing entrance from the main parking area would also be altered to include a new composite timber clad surround and signs.

The market is presently open four days a week and sells meat and fish, fruit and vegetables and non-food goods and services. There are currently around 200 local businesses operating from the market employing around 500 people.

A report to councillors, said: “The creation of the new food hall and moving the outdoor market would also open up and improve pedestrian links across the site and would improve two of the other key entrances to Bolton Market.

“The impact on the character and appearance of the area is considered to be beneficial. The council’s strategic vision for the Bolton Market project is to expand and diversify the current offer while improving the market’s role as a community meeting place by adding an extension to the existing structure to create a new food hall.”

The planning report said the move would boost footfall numbers and drive increased revenue for market traders and the council as the asset owner.