Bury Market: Report finds £6m needed to repair market's roof

Traders were moved from Bury Market after a council survey found unsafe concrete

The crumbling concrete roof of a town's popular indoor market hall will cost at least £6m to repair, a council has said.

The hall, which covers Bury Market, was closed in October over safety fears when fragile RAAC concrete was discovered in the structure.

Surveyors have assessed the site and found the lightweight material is a major problem across the entire roof.

Bury Councillor Charlotte Morris said it was clear there was no "quick fix".

Surveyors estimate that dealing with the RAAC and carrying out other essential repairs to the building could cost at least £6m.

The aerated concrete, which can start to crumble when exposed to moisture, is used in the roof of the 1971 building.

'Tremendous disruption'

Bury Council is considering a range of options for the site, including refurbishing the hall, building a new indoor market, or constructing a new covered market.

Other options include building new storage container kiosk-style market stalls or extending the outdoor market area.

The council is set to appoint consultants to look into these options and report back later this year, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Bury Council is now considering whether to repair the indoor market

Ms Morris said the decision to shut the indoor market short notice had caused "tremendous disruption for traders", but said the council had done its best to help stallholders find new premises.

"Unfortunately, the 'quick fix' we were all hoping for is not available to us, as the surveyors' reports make clear."

Some stallholders had complained about a lack of investment in the hall and the impact the upheaval had on their businesses.

Ms Morris said any decision about the indoor market's future had to factor in the council's plans to build a £20m flexi-hall nearby and build new roof canopies to protect the outdoor stalls.