Tag Archives: Wool Market redevelopment

At the risk of stating the blindingly obvious the key to Market projects is funding. Support streams, deadlines and eligibility criteria come and go as post-Brexit Britain replaces EU support with MHCLG funding. Rachel Reeves’ June spending review offered some hope to those Councils still looking down the back of the sofa to finance Market improvements and deliver Social Value.

The Chancellor confirmed the Government’s latest steps towards delivering its ambitious ‘Plan for Change’ mission to grow the UK economy through a revised Plan for Neighbourhoods www.gov.uk/government/collections/plan-for-neighbourhoods.

The scope of projects which will benefit from this £1.5bn fund has been doubled to 350 deprived communities and names 75 recipients and 25 ‘Trailblazer’ areas previously announced in March 2025. Local Neighbourhood Boards will be appointed to set targets and administer the delivery of community cohesion, regeneration and an improved public realm. This is a revamp of the Shared Prosperity Fund which itself was a substitute for European ERDF support. Quarterbridge offers bespoke Business Plans to support bids (or deliver projects already underway) incorporating the Economic Impact Assessment favoured by MHCLG assessors.

Markets clearly represent an excellent focus for bids. They are ‘low hanging fruit’ i.e. highly visible, cheap and within the gift of a Council to deliver. They are best promoted within the framework of employment creation and delivering social value as per The (Social Value) Act 2012 with plenty of evidence to illustrate how they create jobs and boost the local economy thanks to research by the New Economics Foundation and Joseph Rowntree Trust. MHCLG has also promised to simplify the appraisal process which comes as welcome news to anyone reading the HMG ‘Green Book’ guidance so popular with insomniacs.

Further discretionary grants are also available from the Welsh and Scottish governments through organisations such as Busnes Cymru https://businesswales.gov.wales which is particularly active at encouraging SME businesses who represent the Customers of any Market. Support for SME’s needs to form part of any Business Plans to stimulate demand for Market stalls. Delivery (in England at least) will be through Council-based support teams now Local Enterprise Partnerships are no more.

So the big picture is encouraging but the devil lies in the application and assessment process, as always. Give us a call to see how we can help. We’re always keen to chat through how Markets can be used as a focus for bids.

The Climate Change Act 2008 has profound implications for many owners of Market Halls. Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) and Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) have applied since 2015 and (wait for it…) it is now unlawful to grant new leases for buildings with an EPC rating of less than Standard E. As from April 2025 an EPC certificate must be registered online for all buildings. To compound this further the compliance standards will become more stringent and rise to Grade C in 2027 and Grade B in April 2030. The cold, draughty Market Hall may soon become a thing of the past. Good news, but read on…

So why the legislation? The UK Government is committed to reducing energy consumption and hence carbon emissions by 80% before 2050. The EU (which then included the UK) took a bold stance when promoting the Kyoto protocol in 2005 – unlike the USA, China and India which have never ratified it. A lot of the world is not green yet. Saving the world is commendable but poses a problem for Councils with a large stock of social housing and commercial property and struggling to balance their budgets. The good old days of not worrying about ‘costs in use’ i.e. heating and lighting for Market Halls by simply dumping rising costs onto a service charge are dead and gone.

How to introduce EPCs for existing buildings is a legislative problem which in all fairness has been pretty well thought through. New builds are simply required to meet the standards but how to ensure existing buildings are upgraded is a real problem. There are ‘get out’ clauses such as an exemption for historic listed buildings which would be ‘unacceptably altered’ by compliance. Also for those where compliance works would be more expensive than energy savings anticipated over 7 years – the nattily-named ‘7-year payback exemption’. But exemption claims need to lodged online, or else.

As for any legislation affecting existing tenants there are lease implications which have been anticipated. A lease renewal cannot be refused because the property is sub-standard, nor can a Tenant prematurely terminate their lease because a landlord fails to comply. This could add another level of complexity to often-contested service charge demands levied by landlords. If existing Tenants don’t contribute to compliance this can result in a two-tier rental and service charge structure. Pity the poor Market Manager who has to unpick that problem.

Help is at hand though. A registered Energy Assessor using Government-approved software can calculate an existing performance standard then go on to identify the most cost-effective improvements to ensure future compliance. These include roof overcladding, draught lobbies and the offset effect of PV panels and airsource heatpumps. Then it is down to a Quantity Surveyor to estimate the costs and practicality. The problem still remains of how cash-strapped Landlord can afford the works but there are emerging ways of doing so at very modest cost – contact Quarterbridge if you’d like to discuss with our Energy Assessor.

The DLUHC is promoting three government-backed schemes to revitalize High Streets – the most significant for Markets being the Community Infrastructure Levy. CIL is already in place and proposals for ‘High Street Rental Auctions’ and ‘High Street Accelerators’ are pending.

The Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 empowered County and Unitary Councils to charge a levy when a planning consent is granted, with a share of the proceeds (typically 15%) passed down to lower tier Councils. The intention is to replace unwieldy S.106 agreements attached to consents with a mandatory levy applied across all developments to fund infrastructure for schools and transport etc. All forms of development including changes of use are liable but a ‘Charging Authority’ has a get-out clause for how it is levied. A zero rate can be set for projects delivering a net benefit to the Community e.g. a Market development which creates employment and supports local producers.

Fair enough – it’s not unreasonable to expect developments to contribute to the infrastructure they require. But Council-owned Market developments should become the recipient of and not a donor to CIL. Markets are the starting point for SME businesses which grow to fill empty High Street shops and support the local economy. Ask Mary Portas and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. Applying CIL funds to support Market projects is more than justifiable.

But there are Markets and there are MARKETS. Modernising a Council-owned Market Hall to revitalise a Town centre is admirable but poses the dilemma of whether privately-owned venues e.g. a Carboot sale or a Market Hall which morphs into a leisure-based Food & Beverage destination deserve support. Do F&B developments which replace a Market Hall Butcher and Greengrocer really serve Dan and Doris and the community? Maybe the funding should be focussed on supporting SME businesses instead?

The Act does contain exemptions e.g. no levy on Social Housing or ‘Self-builders’ who develop for their own occupation – but an application for exemption needs to be lodged before development work commences. Nor does CIL replace contributions demanded by private infrastructure providers e.g. Water Companies needing to upgrade their treatment works. Theory says such investment should be borne by Customer supply charges but the scale of investment needed to meet discharge quality standards is enormous. The Water Industry Act 1991 enables them to demand contributions.

The DLUHC’s proposed ‘High Street Rental Auctions’ pilot scheme is intended to enable Councils to force the auction of leases for High Street Shops standing empty for more than a year. The leases can be for up to 5 years and auctioned without a reserve price but who picks up the bill for refurbishment and whether low rents granted will be supported by Small Business Rates Relief is unclear. DLUHC is also inviting bids for 10 High Streets for another pilot scheme – the ‘High Street Accelerators programme’ to create ‘Green Community space’ from a £5m fund. The response to these pilots is intended to guide policy for the DLUHC’s proposed £1.5 billion Long-Term Plan for Towns.

Of the three initiatives CIL offers a real opportunity to kickstart a Market project.

Every 10 years or so another product defect emerges to plague building owners. The latest is RAAC (Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete). Structural failures in school roofs built of RAAC in the 1970′s and 1980′s is bad news for budget-stricken Education Authorities – and the Daily Mail is on the case. Enough said. This is a repeat of the Asbestos, GluLam beams and High Alumina Cement crises we’ve seen before and it is not new news – the Local Government Association, Building Research Establishment and Institution of Structural Engineers have been warning about RAAC for many years. Take a look at the LGA website: www.local.gov.uk/topics/housing-and-planning/information-reinforced-autoclaved-aerated-concrete-raac

The designers of 1970′s Shopping Centres and Market Halls were very enthusiastic about RAAC at that time. RAAC planks were a great solution as roof spans for large buildings. They were made from foamed concrete poured into moulds over mesh steel. Autoclaving the mould made them quick and cheap to produce and the foamy concrete made them far lighter than solid cast concrete slabs. They were just the job for a new roof – add insulation and a nice weatherproof covering and there you have it. The trouble was that RAAC had an estimated design life of about 30 years – more if properly maintained but less if neglected.

As my wonderfully diligent Building Surveyor colleague Vijay says: ‘Why doesn’t anyone ever read the specification?’. There’s nothing he likes more than poking around in dark corners to remind everyone materials have a finite design life. Roofs and drains and plumbing services need maintenance to extend their design life. His recommendations for planned maintenance with advisories from the Building Research Centre keeps Clients awake at night.

There are always practical solutions to sort any problems but who pays? If a privately-owned Shopping Centre with a Market Hall contains RAAC the Lawyers will start reviewing the headlease. That was not an uncommon arrangement for a 1970′s town centre redevelopment where Councils often retained the freehold and a headrent in return for assembling the site. That often included a sublease of the Market Hall back to the Council who then sublet to the Traders. Where does repairing liability rest for an ‘inherent defect’? – with the freehold or headlease or the sublease? And can a product or design warranty be called upon? – both are pretty unlikely.

It’s trickier still when the Market Hall or Shopping Centre is sublet to Tenants. Is there a so-called sinking fund available to cover the cost of remedials (probably not) or could the costs be recovered via a communal service charge levied on Tenants? Try getting that one past a Market Traders Association. As for lodging an insurance claim to pay for an inherent defect – well good luck.

But look on the bright side. If you’re the owner of a Shopping Centre which includes an RAAC-affected Market Hall it is probably under-occupied. This could be an excellent opportunity to relocate the Market into an empty shop (a Wilko?) while the Lawyers sort out a deal with the Council. Relocation could be good news for everyone, not just for footfall in the Centre and the Market Traders.

Following extensive input from Quarterbridge Market Developments and Quarterbridge Lettings, Doncaster’s newly refurbished Wool Market has enjoyed a hugely successful first week’s trade.

Quarterbridge have been advising Doncaster Council on the redevelopment of the Wool Market, which forms part of the overall Markets estate in Doncaster town centre, since March 2017.

Doncaster Wool Market opened this week with a diverse mix of new catering and retail units

After closing in December 2017 for refurbishment, Doncaster Wool Market opened this week with a diverse mix of new catering and retail units centered around a stage and communal seating area. The building has seen an overhaul in the layout and quality of stalls, toilet facilities have been installed and glass frontages have been put in place around the building. The car park, located directly next to the Wool Market, has been extended by an additional 97 spaces now feeding directly into the building.

Quarterbridge Lettings, the UK’s only dedicated letting agency for markets, designed the tenant mix and pre-let the project to entirely independent retailers and street food businesses.

An exciting new shopping and dining experience

Thousands of people came to the Wool Market over the opening week to enjoy food from all over the world, shop at a diverse mix of quality retailers and relax in the communal seating area whilst enjoying live music and entertainment. The Wool Market redevelopment has provided Doncaster with an exciting new shopping and dining experience.

The future of markets is about more than just developing buildings

The future of markets is about more than just developing buildings, it is about developing social hubs by creating a multi-use space which encourages dwell time and perambulation. The Wool Market encapsulates these values, providing a family friendly, enjoyable space which supports Doncaster’s early evening economy (with the food court open until 9pm Thursday-Saturday).

Social media feedback has been overwhelmingly positive

Social media feedback has been overwhelmingly positive following initial skepticism about the value of the project and future of the market. Businesses in other areas of the market estate and in this area of town have seen an uplift in trade, with some doubling their usual takings, demonstrating the business and community value of thriving markets.

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