The crumbling concrete roof of Bury’s indoor market hall will cost at least £6m to repair, the council has said. Traders have been presented with the findings of surveyors’ reports into the condition of the hall, which was closed for safety reasons last October when RAAC was discovered in the building.
Coun Charlotte Morris, cabinet member for culture and the economy, said: “Closing the market hall at short notice was the last thing anyone wanted to do, but it was necessary to protect traders and shoppers in case the roof collapsed. “We appreciate that the closure has caused tremendous disruption for traders. We have done our absolute best to support them, such as finding them new premises, along with rent-free and utility-free periods.
Use of RAAC in the roof structure has inevitably exposed the panels to water penetration. The hall, built in 1971 following a fire which destroyed the former market hall on Kay Gardens, has exceeded its design life.The external fabric of the building requires widespread work, and improvements are also recommended internally. Coun Morris said that other factors needed to be taken into account in any decision about the market hall.
The council did consider installing a crash deck in the market hall. However, this would take 6 months to install, at a cost of £500,000. It would only be a temporary solution, meaning the traders would have to move again one day and suffer more inconvenience.
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