Kirklees Council has been warned not to destroy one of Huddersfield’s “hidden gems” – the town’s Saturday open market.

The warning has come from West Yorkshire think tank Same Skies which wants to scrutinise the council’s £16.5 million plans to transform Huddersfield Open Market.

The council had originally planned to turn the existing market in Brook Street into a food hall with seating for 300 people but now it’s more an events space with seating around it.

Outside there will be a Market Yard with a mix of stalls and permanent leased units. The flexible units are aimed at start-up businesses and entrepreneurs and will be a ‘hub’ where business advice and support will be available.

Huddersfield-based Andrew Wilson, one of the founders of Same Skies, described Huddersfield Open Market as one of the town’s “hidden gems” and said it was busy every Saturday with a secondhand market proving really popular.

Mr Wilson said: “The open market definitely needs some TLC but it is the most successful part of the town centre at the moment.

“The place is rammed on a Saturday afternoon and it has some of the best street food in West Yorkshire.

“Any improvements should build on what is already there, and tread very carefully so as not to do more harm than good for the town.”

 

 

Mr Wilson wants to see the council’s evidence for change and has asked the following questions:

  • Footfall – in terms of footfall per square metre the Saturday secondhand market is probably the busiest place in Huddersfield town centre, and the open market is well-used on other days. What evidence did the council find to demonstrate that their plans will not lead to a loss of footfall?
  • Diversity – Huddersfield’s diversity is one of its greatest strengths, and the open market is the best showcase, being well used throughout the week by stallholders and shoppers from all of Huddersfield’s different communities.

Can the council show how they recognised this as a strength of the current open market and show how they took account of preserving this existing diversity in drawing up their plans?

  • Net job creation and job losses – the council has changed its plans from a food hall (which would be in competition with the food hall currently being built in the old Queensgate market) to an emphasis on business incubation.

Each stall in the current open market is a business, supporting full or part-time jobs. What evidence has the council found to show that its plans will lead to more jobs than are currently supported?

  • Demand for business incubator spaces and unfair competition – Huddersfield already has spaces suitable for new businesses, including The Media Centre on the opposite side of the road to the market, and Bates Mill within 10 minutes’ walk (and already home to one successful food and drink business).

What evidence did the council find of demand for the business incubator spaces and support that it is proposing and how will it guard against unfair use of public funds to undercut existing providers?

  • Programming for event spaces – Huddersfield currently has three new event spaces in development: outside the old Queensgate Market, outside Huddersfield Parish Church and now at the open market.

In order not to have the town centre full of empty event spaces, what are the credible and costed five and 10-year projections drawn up by the council for how those spaces will be filled with activities?

  • Cost-of-living crisis – the secondhand tools, home ware and clothing sold at the market benefit people on low incomes.
    How did the council take account of the benefits of the secondhand market for Huddersfield people struggling with the cost-of-living crisis?
  • Climate emergency – secondhand goods sold at the market have a far lower carbon footprint than buying new items often manufactured and shipped from abroad.
    The council declared a climate emergency in 2019. How did it take account of the climate benefits of the current secondhand market in its plans for redevelopment?

Mr Wilson added: “These are a set of commonsense questions that anyone who knows the town centre well would ask before changing the open market.

“The answers should already be in a folder on somebody’s desktop in the Civic Centre and available at five minute’s notice.”

Funding for the new market was awarded under the previous government’s Levelling Up scheme and it remains to be confirmed whether the new Labour government will still make funding available.

READ MORE: Kirklees Council’s plans to transform Huddersfield Open Market