Council 'deluded' over £11m market revamp - trader

Some vendors have hit out at plans to revamp the Market Square area in Ashton-under-Lyne

A council has been accused of having "delusions of grandeur" as it plans to spend £11m improving a town's market square.

Tameside Council wants to transform Ashton-under-Lyne's Market Square and "breathe new life" into the area.

But some traders said the scheme could drive up prices and force out locals looking for a bargain.

The council said it had consulted people and was responding to what they said they wanted.

Trader Ian Wilson said shoppers at the market are "working class people"

Ian Wilson, who sells second hand goods at the site, told BBC Radio Manchester the proposal for ten permanent stalls on Market Square and news space for up to 70 temporary stalls - double the current amount - would hit trade.

"The artisan, high-end markets… Tameside (Council) have got this delusion of grandeur that they're going to have people start coming in from different areas, but it's not going to happen", he said.

"Prices will go up, costs will go up, people won't come as much, and you'll have lost that community."

Plans to revamp the town's Market Square were approved in September 2023

A spokesman for Tameside Council said the redevelopment was "what traders, shoppers and the wider public have told us they want when we have consulted them".

"We have continually maintained communications with market traders throughout the process including formal public consultations and workshops," he added.

Mark Kempster from Dukinfield, who regularly visits the market, said the plans are an "absolute waste of money."

"There is no way that local people will come to any events or anything within this market area, they can't afford to come down here now, so they certainly won't come down when it's been modernised," the 57-year-old said.

Mark Kempster fears local will not be able to afford any increase in prices

Lawrence Harris and his wife Alicia, who are both 84 and from Ashton-under-Lyne, said the changes were positive, but shared concerns about parking and anti-social behaviour.

"I think it really is a good idea," Mr Harris said, but urged those overseeing the project to consider the needs for spaces, "otherwise, it's going to be a dead town and nobody's going to come".

Alicia and Lawrence Harris support the changes but want to see more parking spaces

Tameside Council said the outdoor market will move to the town's Fletcher Square for about 15 months while work is underway.

Work to redevelop Market Square will start in June and is expected to be finished by October 2025.

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