Rumour outdoor market site for sale 'is nonsense'

Rumours the former site of an outdoor market site has been sold "are complete nonsense", a council has said.

The news comes after Bilston Market traders were moved to another area of town last year to make way for the £5.2m rebuilding of the market on the site by City of Wolverhampton Council.

Concerns have been raised because traders say there has been no visible progress made since January with one, John Dawkins, saying there were rumours a supermarket chain and a property developer were set to buy the site.

However Bhupinder Gakhal, council portfolio holder for resident services, said there had been no activity since March because a detailed design and delivery plan was being drawn up.

Mr Dawkins has asked whether "it is still on course to be completed in October", but Gakhal has not provided confirmation the market would be ready to reopen that month.

"The council's £5.2m investment in Bilston Outdoor Market is a major redevelopment programme that will see huge improvements for both traders and visitors," said Gakhal.

"Rumours of the site being sold are complete nonsense – and I wrote to every single trader this week to tell them so."

The rebuild project has been financed through the government's Towns Fund initiative.

Gakhal said that "enabling works, site and ground surveys" were completed in March" and survey results were being used to create design and delivery plans.

"The final timetable and programme of works are due shortly from the contractor and we have told traders they will be the first to know when we have that information," he said.

Traders became concerned when site notices and construction equipment was taken away.

While the outdoor markets was knocked down, "the last time there was movement was back in January", Mr Dawkins said.

"We've approached market officers, they say everything's on track but nothing's happening," he explained.

"It's supposed to be complete in October but there hasn't been any work for months."

He and other traders said they wanted reassurance about the market's future.

Mr Dawkins added that people wanted to know when and if traders were going to be moved back and "why nothing has happened on the site".

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.

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