Future of market under review, just eight years after regeneration move to new site
THE future of a Dearne area market - modernised and moved to a new site just eight years ago - is under review, council bosses have confirmed.
Hoyland market, which trades on Tuesdays and Saturdays, now occupies a site which has 30 stalls at Southgate.
In moved from its traditional - and larger - site at Market Street in 2016 as part of a regeneration project, which saw the old site take on the current B&M store, along with other units and car parking.
But the Southgate market site has sparked debate since it opened, with some traders questioning the move at the time.
It has never traded to capacity and on Tuesday this week only the front line of stalls was occupied, along with a couple more traders with temporary stalls closer to the town square than the fixed stalls.
Rumours and speculation about the market have been emerging locally and now Barnsley Council have confirmed the market is being examined, as a result of levels of demand from stall-holders.
It is unlikely the market would close - Barnsley Council is proud of the town’s market tradition and has worked to preserve other district markets in Goldthorpe, Wombwell, and Penistone.
New traders at Goldthorpe and Wombwell have been offered grants as an incentive to launch businesses there.
Cllr Robin Franklin, cabinet spokesman for regeneration and culture at Barnsley Council, who also represents the Hoyland Milton council ward, confirmed: “We are undertaking a review of the capacity of the site and looking at our options, taking into account recent demand from traders.”
The move is the latest twist in the redevelopment of Hoyland town centre, which goes back a decade to when the council linked up with developers Resilienti for a widespread project.
That superseded Resilienti’s own plans to put new retail units on the site of the old NHS building in Duke Street, which is now a car park.
Initially, the scheme was intended to demolish the old town hall and Co-op building, but that was dropped.
Although the supermarket closed in 2019, it has now re-opened as a Community Shop, providing cheap food and other support services for those claiming benefits.
The town square was given a £400,000 make-over, completed this year, after a first lacklustre attempt attracted outrage from residents.