Indoor market's lease extended to March '27

AGREEMENTS REACHED FOR TEMPORARY AND PERMANENT HOMES AFTER PRESENT SITE IS REDEVELOPED

- ALEXANDER BROCK Local Democracy Reporter

THE fate of Birmingham’s Bull Ring Indoor Market building has been be sealed after plans to demolish were backed for a third time.

Developers controversially revealed last year that they wanted to bulldoze the building to make way for housing.

The proposed development of the Edgbaston Street site would provide up to 745 apartments or up to 1,544 student bedrooms - or any combination of those uses - in the city centre.

The plans also include new public realm works, a private central courtyard and roof-top terraces as well as commercial space.

Concerns for the market traders have regulalrly been voiced at council planning meetings this year.

A report previously stated they could move into a tempo-rary market on the former wholesale market site, then be housed in permanent building on the wider Smithfield site.

An update, issued ahead of a planning meeting in February, said there had been “notable progress” on the Smithfield plans, adding it provided a “greater level of certainty over future market provision”