PROPOSALS to relocate Llanelli Market and potentially demolish the ageing multi-storey car park above have been unveiled by Carmarthenshire Council.
The authority is looking at four options, including moving the indoor market to the former Woolworths building in nearby Vaughan Street.
No final decisions have been made and the proposals were shared with traders at a meeting yesterday evening.
The council said the multi-storey car park above the current market was safe but nearing the end of its structural life.
The four options being considered are:
- Temporarily relocate the market to outdoor or other provision, before relocating to a new home on the current site
- Relocate to Market Street South
- Relocate to the former Woolworths Building, Vaughan Street
- Hybrid option of relocating the market to the former Woolworths building with some traders going to empty retail sites within the town centre.
The council acquired the old Woolworths building in 2018 and has UK Government Levelling Up Fund money to develop a chunk of commercial space in the town centre by spring, 2028. This means the two options involving 8-12 Vaughan Street are considered at this stage the most viable.
Cllr Hazel Evans, cabinet member for regeneration, leisure, culture and tourism, said: “We are faced with tight timescales to secure the money for this project and ensure that this option remains on the table to deliver a new market in Llanelli town centre.
“Last night’s initial discussion meeting is the beginning of a journey with our traders, as their input is integral to how we design a new home for Llanelli Market.”
She said the council would need to submit a pre-planning application to redevelop 8-12 Vaughan Street in the coming weeks, potentially comprising a ground floor and first floor layout. Cardiff’s indoor market has a ground floor and balcony level above.
“Due to the time constraints, it is better to submit the pre-planning application in this time scale, with the option to withdraw the application if this option is not viable,” said Cllr Evans. “If the council submitted the application at a later date, it would mean that we miss the deadlines set out in the conditions of funding by the UK Government.”
Sharon Bowler, the owner of market business Beauty 2 Bubbles, said she hadn’t been able to attend last night’s meeting but was now aware of the proposals.
She said it was a bit of a shock but that she and others were aware that the car park above was old and needed a lot of work.
“We knew it was not going to stand forever,” said Mrs Bowler. “It looks like it needs to come down.”
She and others have asked the council for more information about the Cowell Street end of the market, where Beauty 2 Bubbles is based.
Mrs Bowler said it was vital that wherever the market moved that all traders, which the council said numbered 50, could be accommodated.
“If it’s going to be nice premises, than great,” she said. “The way the town is at the moment, it’s not very grand. We are suffering. There is not enough footfall.”
Another trader said she also felt the market was going to have to move. “I did think it was on the cards,” she said. “But we’re still at the very early stages.”
The council said it anticipated knocking down the multi-storey car park after the market relocated. It said it was reviewing all parking provision in the meantime.
What are the plans?
- The council said the current building was nearing its end of life, but safe, and that it wanted to agree a joint way forward with traders to create a new market for the town.
Will Llanelli Market close?
- No, said the council. It said it was committed to ensuring that Llanelli continued to have a thriving market in the decades to come, and was also working to regenerate the town centre.
What measures are being put in place to ensure the current building continues to be safe?
- The council said engineers were conducting monthly inspections to monitor the building’s condition closely. All necessary repairs, it said, were documented and addressed by an appointed contractor on a priority basis.
How many car parking spaces will be lost if the car park closes?
- The multi-storey car park above the market, built in 1969, can accommodate 527 cars. The council said the average daily use of the car park was 224 tickets but that the number of spaces in use at any one time was less than this.
If the current car park is closed, where are people meant to park?
- Considering the parking numbers above, the council has reviewed all parking provision in the town and said the displaced parking spaces from the multi-storey would be accommodated in other public car parks.
Why does it seem the option to move the market to the former Woolworths building is being further developed?
- The council acquired the building seven years ago and had proposed a health hub there after securing UK Government Levelling Up Fund money to redevelop the site. The health hub didn’t materialise and the market relocation is now seen as an opportunity to both use the site and ensure the project was eligible for the funding.
Will a two-storey market work?
- The council said if it got the design and offer right in the future market building, it believed footfall will come. If this option was chosen, it said, it would be up to the council, traders and wider stakeholders to ensure its success. Architects have been approached to create a building that was fit for the future and would help regenerate the town.
Next steps?
- The council said it wanted to get everyone’s views and collectively agree a way forward. It added that to keep all four options on the table and meet UK Government funding requirements it would submit a pre-planning application shortly to create a new market at the former Woolworths building on Vaughan Street in the coming weeks, but this didn’t mean it would be the option taken forward.
