Glossop market traders are on the move

Glossop market traders will now be operating from shops and what some are calling 'Christmas' cabins.

It comes after the town’s traditional outdoor market - which was established more than a century ago - closed last Saturday, on a day of torrential rain when few of the stalls were tenanted.

One trader said: “Our message to our customers is that we will still be here, so please come and support us. Glossop has always been a market town, so let’s keep it that way.”

High Peak Borough Council - true to its word - has built cabins for traders close to the toilet block.

Others have gone up in the Market Arcade where already empty shops are being rented by traders displaced when the council closed the market hall.

Both the hall - part of the Glossop Town Hall complex - and the cobbled market square are part of HPBC’s multi-million pound regeneration project.

Work is expected to start soon on removing the steel framed stalls and old wooden cabins. 

The cafe will remain, but the space on the cobbles is required for the fleet of men, machinery and vehicles that will start transforming the market hall, when the roof replacement project starts.

The council stresses that the traditional market has an important part to play in its regeneration plans and will reopen.

Council leader Cllr Anthony Mckeown said: “I’m delighted that traders on the indoor market will be able to join their outdoor colleagues and resume business again from next week – the return of the market is something we’ve all been looking forward to and this is great news.

“Our commitment to supporting the traders to continue their businesses has not wavered and, despite the challenges this year has presented, we’ve been able to ensure these temporary arrangements are in place for both indoor and outdoor market businesses in advance of the roof replacement work starting,” he added.

“The market, and the other businesses in the Arcade, will remain open for the duration of the works and I would urge people to support the traders and to shop locally. 

“Measures to ensure people can do so safely will be in place and I would ask people to take care of themselves and each other by observing these measures and any introduced by the traders.”

Meanwhile, the council says the contractor is expected to be on site later this month to begin replacing the roof and renewing the electrical and fire safety systems at the Market Hall, as well as replacing the roof at the Municipal Buildings. 

Cllr Damien Greenhalgh, Deputy Leader and Executive Councillor for Regeneration, Tourism and Leisure, said: “This is the next stage in the significant investment we’re making in restoring Glossop’s historic halls and returning them to active public use.

“The halls are the catalyst to the wider regeneration and central to our ambitions for creating a thriving, vibrant town centre – made all the more important due to the economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.

“In August we received the exciting news that the Halls had been shortlisted to receive £2 million to bring them up to modern standards. The business case to support this once in a generation opportunity has been submitted so watch this space!”