Councillors set to decide on new market plan

Councillors will decide in the next week whether to give permission for an alternative market to one already planned by the local authority.

Market trader Alan Featherstone has put forward plans and applied for a licence for a market in the former Marks & Spencer unit in Birkenhead rather than the complex planned by Wirral Council for the former Argos site.

Even if the licence is granted, it will still face the hurdle of Marks & Spencer being in advanced talks with someone else for the former store in the Pyramids Shopping Centre.

The authority approved moving the market from the Grange precinct to Princes Pavements in March.

Earlier this year, Marks and Spencer said it was happy to let a new Birkenhead Market be run from the premises subject to terms and conditions being agreed.

However, in July the retail giant said it was no longer able to move forward with any sub-lease related to a market.

Despite this, Mr Featherstone has not withdrawn his plans and is calling on the council to support them.

He was represented by his son, Will, at a licensing panel hearing on Friday, who said it would be for a non-profit community market with any money made going back into it.

He argued competition was good and having two different markets in the town would be good for jobs and footfall.

He was supported by Birkenhead’s three Green councillors Pat Cleary, Amanda Onwuemene, and Ewan Tomeny.

But the council’s director of regeneration Marcus Shaw asked for the application to be thrown out due to the absence of a firm business plan and opposition from Marks & Spencer.

He argued granting a market licence could jeopardise the authority’s regeneration plans as well as future plans to relocate Birkenhead Market into Argos.

He said: "We do not have the population and economy to support and sustain growth of that scale."

Councillors will issue their decision within seven days.

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