Birmingham Wholesale Markets to move out of city centre

THE future of Birmingham’s Wholesale Markets became clearer yesterday with the city council saying it must move to a new site.

The council said its current Pershore Street home is not fit for purpose and that it doesn’t have the necessary funds needed to develop it.

It wants to move the market to a new site at the former IMI site in Witton or the former LDV site in Washwood Heath in 2016.

Once vacated the Pershore Street site, which lies within the city centre enterprise zone, would be sold for development.

Deputy leader Ian Ward said: “I know this is not what the traders want to hear but we are in challenging financial times.”

Peter Marshall, vice-chairman of the Birmingham Wholesale Fresh Produce Association, said he was worried for “the long-term future of the market”.

He said: “Our customers are here, we’re next to the Bullring and to China Town, and if we move it could be detrimental to the market.”

The council said the new market site would be half the size of the existing one, with 72 standard-sized units available.

The current wholesale market is on a 21-acre site in Pershore Street. It includes horticultural, meat, fish and poultry markets.

Traders have fought a two- year campaign against eviction from their present home.

The suggestion of the former LDV site Washwood Heath as a venue for the new market is a surprise as the same site has already been mooted as a base for an HS2 depot or a site for one of the city’s planned economic zones.