New Smithfield to be transformed into Manchester's very own Borough Market

NEW Smithfield Market is going back to its roots as part of an ambitious redevelopment which aims to bring the character, choice, and colour of the wholesale trade back into the heart of the community.

Much like London's famous Borough and Spitalfields markets, Openshaw's 112-year-old wholesale market is to be transformed into a hub for Manchester's thriving food scene.

Established in 1897, Smithfield was formerly located in the heart of the city centre, before moving to its current site in 1972. Branching out from the grand fish and vegetable food halls in the Northern Quarter were street markets stretching down Shude Hill and the surrounding cobbled roads.

The new redevelopment aims to recreate the organic, thriving atmosphere of the former location.

The emphasis will be on organic, locally grown, seasonal produce. Permanent planned outlets include a smokehouse, craft bakery, and dairy, selling top quality goods on a Thursday, Friday and Saturday throughout the year.

Visitors will be able to browse through stalls, enjoy a coffee or lunch, see an allotment in action, and wander through greenhouses full of fragrant produce grown specially for the onsite Market Shop.

A cookery school and education and training service will cater for everyone from committed gastronomes to local school kids eager to learn about healthy eating, while students can learn there is more to life than beans on toast.

A community food centre will provide the focal point for local produce, taking the wealth of the wholesale offer out to the casual shopper. A key part of regeneration plans for East Manchester, it is envisaged that the project will transform the cavernous warehouses into a 'market village' complex for the modern era.

The New Smithfield shop will be the market's city centre presence, and the place to source information, contact traders, enrol for a course, book a tour or event, and purchase Smithfield Market merchandise.

A dedicated shuttle bus will ferry visitors to and from Openshaw, and the new East Manchester Metrolink stop, when completed, will bring visitors to within half a miles walking distance of the site. A dedicated cycle route will be created for the more energetic visitor.

In addition, a dedicated website – www.smithfieldmarket.com – will be updated daily with information on call things Smithfield-related.

Initial work is soon to begin, with the first stage to include an extensive refurbishment of one of the trading halls; a new fish market; several new units, and improvements to public spaces.

Draft proposals are currently being prepared by the council, and as soon as the business plan is agreed, a full consultation will be carried out with the local community and other partners.