Traders at Birmingham Wholesale Markets 'in limbo' over delay to planned move
“It leaks very badly – it doesn’t exactly encourage people to come down here when they see the state of the market. There are potholes which cause health and safety issues as you can’t see them when there’s water on the ground.”
He said problems with working conditions – along with the difficulties in recruiting staff prepared to get up at 2.30am six days a week – were contributing to a “slow decline” in the markets.
“It puts a lot of people off because of the hours and the working conditions. We have difficulties in recruiting.”
Moss Prottey, director of fruit and vegetable wholesale firm George Perry, said he was also in the dark about how long he would have to put up with the deteriorating conditions.
“We’ve had no information – we’re working on five years but that’s guesswork.”
His company has been forced to develop impromptu ways of protecting equipment and offices from the elements, although he says the council is looking at fixing the roof.
“We put towels over the printer where we print the bills out,” Mr Prottey said. “I’ve got a bucket next to where I sit.”
The central 21-acre site the markets would leave would open up a major opportunity for redevelopment in the run-down part of Digbeth, with US firm Hines the favourite to land the contract to mastermind the scheme.
But the longer the markets stay put, ambitions to expand city centre retail or create a new entertainment zone with open air markets, theatres and cafes remain on ice.
William Rooke, associate development director at Prupim, stressed the developer was still committed to delivering a new home for the wholesale markets.
“We are in discussions with the council to achieve an affordable scheme design and we anticipate we will be back in touch with all the local stakeholders this autumn to consult on the proposals, at which point we will also outline a revised timetable for the submission of a planning application to the council and the relocation of the markets.”
Birmingham City Council insisted it had never spoken in terms of timescales for the markets’ relocation.
A spokesman said: “We are in discussions with Prupim about relocation to the Witton site and hope to bring a report to the Council’s cabinet with more detail before the end of the year.”
>MORE: Bull Ring market traders fear knock-on effect when wholesalers move out of Birmingham
