Wolverhampton Council responds to rumours over stalled Bilston Outdoor Market development
Wolverhampton Council has responded to growing speculation surrounding the future of the Bilston Outdoor Market site, after redevelopment works stopped months ago.
The city council is currently undergoing a project to rebuild Bilston Outdoor Market, funded by £5.2million of Towns Fund cash from the Government.
Last year, traders were relocated to another area in the town centre to allow the works to proceed.
But traders said no visible progress has been made since January, and that earlier this month site notices and remaining construction equipment were taken away.
Bilston market trader John Dawkins said rumours have escalated about the site’s sale to a supermarket chain and a property developer.
The authority has hit back at the claims and said the rumours were ‘nonsense’.
John said: “They’ve knocked the outdoor markets down but the last time there was movement was back in January.
“You ask the powers that be and they either don’t answer or dismiss it. Then the rumour mill starts.
“We’ve heard that the council has sold it to a property firm, we’ve heard they’ve sold it to a supermarket - a customer today asked if Aldi had bought the land!
“There are so many stories.
“We’ve approached market officers, they say everything’s on track but nothing’s happening. It’s supposed to be complete in October but there hasn’t been any work for months.”
John said he and other traders want reassurance about the future of the outdoor market.
He added: “So far we’ve sucked it up because we know we’ll be going back but it’s not ideal.
“We want to know when and if we’re going to be moved back, if it is still on course to be completed in October and why nothing has happened on the site.”
Portfolio holder for resident services, Councillor Bhupinder Gakhal, branded rumours about the sale of the site as ‘complete nonsense’.
He said there’s been no activity on the site since March due to a detailed design and delivery plan being created.
Councillor Gakhal provided no confirmation on whether the market will be ready to reopen in October 2025, but said a timetable of works is due from the contractor ‘shortly’.
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, he said: “The council’s £5.2m investment in Bilston Outdoor Market is a major redevelopment programme that will see huge improvements for both traders and visitors.
“Rumours of the site being sold are complete nonsense – and I wrote to every single trader this week to tell them so.
“After enabling works, site and ground surveys were carried out and completed in March. The survey results are now being used to create detailed design and delivery plans. That is why there has been no activity on site since March.
“The final timetable and programme of works are due shortly from the contractor and we have told traders they will be the first to know when we have that information.”
