Dublin’s Victorian fruit and vegetable market in the north inner city has been surrounded by scaffolding as work to transform it into a new retail food market moves into the construction phase.
The €44 million redevelopment of the vast 6,000sq m market building, the largest in the State, is finally progressing, a decade after planning permission was granted.
The project, which is expected to take just over two years, involves the conservation and restoration of the 134-year-old building on Mary’s Lane, close to Capel Street. It also includes new buildings to the southside of the market facing the Luas line on Chancery Street.
Officials, including Lord Mayor of Dublin Cllr Ray McAdam, gathered at the building on Wednesday to inspect early construction works.
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Once completed, the revamped market will house at least 80 stalls along with a restaurant and “food demonstration space” as well as an outdoor farmers’ market under canopies at the Chancery Street Yard, said Dublin City Council.
Archaeological investigations have been undertaken, while asbestos removal and demolition of some 20th-century additions have been completed. Main contractor Purcell Construction is now beginning the significant work required to restore the historic building to its former glory.
It involves the refurbishment of the cast iron posts and wrought iron structures which support the roof of the vast open plan hall. The roof itself will also be restored with replacement of glazing, the installation of Blue Bangor slates, and the addition of solar panels.
Underneath, original brickwork and tiles and 15 huge wooden doors, which have been damaged by fires, will be repaired. At ground level, the historic Leinster granite kerbs, originally used to delineate the market vendors’ plots, will also be restored.
There will be several new structures, including two toilet blocks and outdoor landscaping, seating and tables at the Chancery Street Yard opposite the Luas line, to facilitate the farmers’ markets.
The council will advertise for a market operator by the end of this year.
[ Video: The community needs ownership of market Opens in new window ]
The redevelopment of the market was first proposed in 2002. In 2007, a consortium was selected for what was then a €425 million project involving apartments and offices as well as a retail food market. Michelin-starred restaurateur Patrick Guilbaud was reported to be “in talks” as an anchor tenant, but contracts were never signed before the financial crash hit.
In 2011, the council announced more modest plans to redevelop the market as a retail and wholesale food facility. The following year, it began repairs to the roof, and in 2013, it drafted redevelopment plans to open the new market in mid-2015.
The development again stalled when it emerged that vacant possession of the hall was required for the work to take place. At that point, about a dozen wholesalers were still using the building. In March 2015, the council secured planning permission for a retail-only market and, following several more years of negotiation with the traders, secured vacant possession of the building in August 2019.
The council immediately closed the market and said it would begin the tender process for the new retail market, which it hoped to have operational by 2021.
It has remained closed since, apart from its rental to a construction company for storage, occasional one-off events, and its use by film companies. Since its closure, the building has been subject to repeated vandalism, with several of its old wooden doors badly damaged by fire.
Councillors last March approved borrowing of up to €30 million as part of the overall €44 million estimated cost of the project, and ministerial approval was subsequently sought and granted for work to begin.
The new facility will be a “quintessentially Irish food market” operating seven days a week to “support the city’s north retail core and highlight the food offer to locals and visitors alike”, said the council.
Shoppers will be able to “do their weekly food shop, or dine on-site at the restaurant or traders’ stalls”. Facilities will be provided for “community growers and start-up food businesses” and more established local producers who will have a “direct route to market with some producing on-site”, the council said.
“The new market will act as a catalyst for regeneration and new uses in the area while providing for food education and associated events,” it added.
