Cardiff Market: £6.5m restoration to go ahead

The restoration of the Victorian market is expected to start next summer

Cardiff's Central Market will get a £6.5m facelift, after the council secured extra funding.

The money will go towards "protecting, preserving and future-proofing the 130 year old, Grade II-listed Victorian market", said the council.

Plans aim to enhance the original design features, while making the site more energy efficient.

Work is expected to start next summer, and the market will remain open.

Traders will be temporarily moved to units in the Hayes area, directly outside the market, for up to 12 weeks during different phases of the restoration, said the council.

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The extra £3.1m funding for the project has come from the Welsh government's Transforming Towns programme.

This follows a £2.1m grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The restoration will see traditional entrances and original stalls restored, the iconic glass roof repaired, and improvements made to the Victorian drainage system.

Repairs will also be made to the market clock and a false floor installed at the Trinity Street entrance in the 1960s will be removed.

The market is set to get a new activity and education room, along with a 70-seat eating area.

The changes aim to enhance the market's original Victorian features, while making it more energy efficient

Council leader Huw Thomas said: "The market is one of Cardiff's most important heritage buildings, as well as a vital city centre space for small independent traders.

"Anybody who has visited in recent years will know that it's a special place, with a unique atmosphere built on 130 years of history.

"Our restoration plans will preserve and protect that history and ensure that it remains the bustling heart of the city that we all know and love, for many years to come."

The Welsh government's climate change minister Julie James said: "Cardiff Market is a vital asset which significantly adds to the region's shopping, visitor and cultural experience and has a key role to play in generating footfall and supporting the wider city centre economy."

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