Barnstaple's Pannier Market to close for regeneration work in January 2023

Barnstaple's Pannier Market will temporarily close next year while regeneration works take place.

It will shut from January 2023 with traders moving into Green Lanes Shopping Centre while work is carried out on the Market Quarter.

North Devon Council says it decided to close the market in January - at a time of year when it's usually at its lowest capacity.

Planning permission has been granted and the proposed works will include:

• Refurbishment of the market street toilets

• Relocation of the office to the old Pannier Market café

• Repairs to the roof including gutters and windows

• Redecoration

• Glazing of doors to Butchers Row

• Refurbishment of corn store into an insulated/self-contained space and traders' storage area

• Relocation of storage/bins area to rear wall adjacent to Queens Theatre

• External refurbishment works to The Guildhall

Councillor Malcolm Prowse says: "This is a really exciting phase of the Market Quarter development project, as we start making some improvements to the Pannier Market whilst retaining its existing heritage and charm.

"We appreciate this involves some disruption for both traders, local businesses and visitors to the town centre, and we're doing what we can to keep this disruption to a minimum, with traders being given the opportunity to move to Green Lanes during the period of time the market is closed.

"We are absolutely sure that the temporary inconvenience encountered will ultimately be well worth it for everyone concerned.

"The market will undergo some essential repairs, as well as being brought back to its former glory as we refurbish and prepare it to hold a more diverse programme of markets, cultural events and community gatherings in the future."

The market was also forced to temporarily close in October this year after contractors discovered that sections of old paint on the roof timbers contained lead.

The council says that, due to the scale of the project, it is impossible to put a definitive completion date on the works.

There are two key phases for works; the market will be closed for trading during phase one but open, at least in part, during phase two.

It is expected that phase one will start on 3 January 2023 and be complete by Easter with phase two complete by the summer holidays.