The message was clear in 1986 - Save Leeds Market. More than 250,000 people signed a petition opposing a redevelopment proposal put forward bywith Dutch developers MAB and Norwich Union as major investors. The plans involved retaining the 1875 and 1904 Halls, but replacing the rest with a new single market hall, new shops, a new bus station and multi-storey car park.
The scheme proved unpopular and was opposed by the Market Traders' Association as well as Leeds Civic Trust. In order to see the plans through, a compulsory purchase order was required by the council and this was refused by the Secretary of State for the Environment. A four year campaign of opposition ended in victory when the plans were formally dropped in 1990. Enjoy these rarely-seen photos, plucked from the YEP archive, which tell the story of the long-running saga.