New tenants sought for city centre market site

The market site could be used for retail, leisure or entertainment purposes, the council says

A council is seeking new tenants for a former city centre market site that closed more than a year ago.

St Johns Market in Liverpool, which was founded in 1822, was closed by Liverpool City Council in March 2024.

The authority said it had no other option after it had attempted to recover more than £1.7m of unpaid rent and service charges from 43 tenancies.

Nick Small, the council's cabinet member for growth and economy, said: "Any plans submitted would be subject to planning, but Liverpool City Council is committed to revitalising this key city centre asset."

He described the move as "an incredible opportunity for something different and exciting" in the city centre.

In March, Small told the Local Democracy Reporting Service the two-acre (0.84-hectare) site was a "prime location" for a leisure or food and drink offering.

It includes a basement, ground floor and mezzanine level.

The council described it as suitable for uses including retail, leisure and entertainment, adding that it was working alongside real estate advisor, Avison Young.

Joel Lawson, director at Avison Young, said: "Its scale, prominence and location – immediately adjacent to Liverpool Lime Street and Central Station – make it an exceptional opportunity for a wide variety of potential occupiers."

The market underwent a £2.5m refurbishment in 2016 but traders described this as "drab"

The council said the market cost £1m a year to subsidise, making it "unviable".

A £2.5m refurbishment was carried out in 2016, which traders at the time described as "drab".

Former mayor Joe Anderson agreed to waive traders' rent for a number of years and, while it was reinstated after the pandemic, the council said it was never paid.

Legal letters sent to market tenants in October 2023 demanded three years' worth of rent and other arrears from traders, which they told the BBC they could not afford to pay.

After months of negotiations failed in March 2024, the council said it was left with "no option" but to shut the market.