Demolition of former market confirmed

Beaumont Market closed in December after almost 40 years of trading

The demolition of a former market in Leicester that ran for 39 years has been approved by the city council.

Beaumont Market in Beaumont Leys was closed in December and sold by the council in February after the authority ruled it no longer "had a viable future" due to declining trade.

The site was bought by Beaumont Leys Properties Ltd, which also owns the adjoining Beaumont Shopping Centre, with a view to improve "a key entrance" to the centre.

Plans to pull down the old covered structure of the market, public toilets and an office building were approved on 23 August, with work expected to begin by Wednesday.

The company said in the plans that "clearance of the site" would allow for the "future redevelopment of the wider shopping centre".

Simon Revill, centre manager at Beaumont Shopping Centre, said: "It’s an exciting time for the centre at present with a significant amount of investment, employment opportunities and the continued focus on our environmental commitments.

"Working with our partners at Savills, we are currently reviewing a number of draft designs, with an aim to improve the overall aesthetic and provide a more accessible and customer-friendly environment.

"In addition to the market purchase, we are currently building a new Starbucks drive through, due to open in October this year and 12 new Tesla EV charging stations will also go live imminently."

After the closure of the market was announced in September, a petition against the decision delayed proceedings and it closed on 31 December.

The market had run since 1984, starting with 60 stalls. However, this figure had fallen to 15 by the time it closed.

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