Rochdale market to open in August

The new market building

The long-awaited new Rochdale Market on The Butts and in the former Santander Bank is set to open in August.

Speaking at Wednesday’s council meeting, Councillor John Blundell said the market plans to open on 18 August. Work will continue on it for a short while to fully finalise the project.

The new market, dubbed The Riverbank Food Hall by specialists Quarterbridge, will consist of indoor stalls and a café. The Essex-based specialists have been taking bookings for stall holders, but it is unknown how many existing traders will make the move into the new premises.

Currently Rochdale Market operates three days a week from a temporary location at Lord Square and the bottom of Yorkshire Street on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

After close to four decades in the Exchange Shopping Centre, Rochdale Market was forced to move to the former 'Black Box' site in January 2015 – itself a temporary measure – where traders operated for two and a half years without basic facilities. Work on opening the river at the time prevented the move of the market to the preferred location of The Butts.