Wolverhampton Indoor Market demolition well under way

Since August the demolition of the market building and Heantun House in Wolverhampton has been gathering pace.

The frontage has been removed to expose empty floors and supporting pillars.

Now council bosses say a car park due to be built on the site is expected to be open by early next spring.

The temporary site will provide spaces for more than 200 vehicles before the land is taken over as part of the £55 million Westside development.

A new outdoor market, with 16 colourful purpose-built cabins joining almost 50 traditional stalls, opened in Market Square in April, bringing together both the indoor and outdoor markets.

It meant that Heantun House office block and the adjoining Market Hall, on the corner of Salop Street and School Street, could be flattened for the new development.

The Westside site will eventually include a multi-screen cinema, restaurants, bars, hotel, multi-storey car park, apartments and public open space in two phases over five years, with first stage of construction work expected to start in early 2018 and to be complete by early 2020.

The development area encompasses land between Penn Road Island and Salop Street, including the current School Street and Peel Street car parks and the area around Market Square.

Phase two incorporates parts of land between Salop Street and Darlington Street, including the Fold Street car park. Works on this section of the development are likely to be completed in 2022.

Wolverhampton council spokesman Oliver Bhurrut said: "Demolition of the old indoor market and Heantun House is due to finish in early spring.

"The land will be turned into an interim car park with over 200 spaces and new market trader parking, before Urban & Civic take over the land as part of a £55 million Westside development."

The car park will provide 85 extra car parking spaces, 17 additional trader parking spaces and a further five additional disabled parking spaces.