Bradford Council has approved proposals to relocate and expand St James’s Wholesale Market into a modern ‘regional food hub.’ The leader of the Council had previously suggested that existing market site could be the location for a new city centre Northern Powerhouse Rail station.
Those behind the plans believe that an expanded market could become a food destination of regional and national importance offering a much larger range of fresh food from fresh and processed foods to meat, fish, bakery and flowers, and provide a broader range of services, partly thanks to Bradford’s strategic location at the midpoint between London and Edinburgh, and Liverpool and Hull.
The Council believe the market has an opportunity to excel in the food distribution and to provide at least a 25% increase in additional trading space to current traders and related support services.
Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw commented, “This is an extremely exciting time for wholesale markets and Bradford could become a regional leader in the sale and distribution of fresh food and vegetables. These proposals present the district with an exciting opportunity to build on over 150 years of tradition and could also attract significant investment and jobs to our area.”
Photo source: Bradford Markets