The New Woking Market

The £4 million project forms part of wider Town Centre improvements by the Borough Council.

Councillors had a first glimpse of the new Covered Market in Woking earlier this month. The £4 million project forms part of wider Town Centre improvements by the Borough Council which include refurbishing the 1970’s Wolsey Place Shopping Centre and repaving Commercial Way, the retail heart of Woking.

The new covered Market Walk replaces the existing Open Market on Victoria Way due to be replaced with a new Hotel, Offices and Apartments as part of the improvements, but Councillors have promised existing Traders the current Market will remain open for Christmas trading.

Councillors were shown around by Council Officers and Quarterbridge who designed the new facility in conjunction with Benoy Architects. Quarterbridge is also providing interim management services through a new operating Company, Woking Market Ltd.

A new mezzanine floor was installed to create for backup storage accessed directly off the Shopping centre’s service yard.

The new Market has been built in the double-height walkway previously separating Wolsey Place from the adjacent Peacocks Shopping Centre. A new mezzanine floor was installed to create backup storage accessed directly off the Shopping centre’s service yard. It is equipped with coldrooms for fresh food uses and ambient storage cages for others. The ground floor walkway beneath has been repaved and 15 lockup kiosks provided, ranging from 750 to 1800 sq ft. Two of these are fully-equipped for catering with designated seating areas and three others fitted-out with fridges and display counters for a Butcher, Delicatessen and Fishmonger. The remainder are equipped with lighting, heating and standing-out display areas for greengrocery, florists and fashion sales.

15 lockup kiosks provided, ranging from 750 to 1800 sq ft.

Hayden Ferriby, Lettings Director for Quarterbridge said: ‘Demand for the kiosks has been excellent – too much in fact, but that’s a nice problem to have. It’s still a Market offering low-cost premises for Stallholders and excellent value for Shoppers. This investment will strengthen and diversify the town centre’s retail offer and help Stallholders keep pace with the multiples’.

Market Walk will trade 7-days per week and include a further 7 demountable daystalls for ‘casual’ traders in addition to the monthly Farmers and Specialist Market on Jubilee Square. Traders facilities are a vast improvement and include on-site preparation rooms, WC’s, data cabling and a state-of-the-art ‘Mood ceiling’ with background lighting which changes colour!

Quarterbridge lettings can be contacted on 01206 761000 or via their website: www.quarterbridge.co.uk