AN ALTRINCHAM-style makeover of Bury Market could alienate loyal shoppers, a councillor tasked with redesigning the market has warned.

Bury Council has agreed to spend £50,000 to develop a masterplan for the market which includes drawing up a business plan for a new indoor hall.

Working with Millgate Shopping Centre, the council wants to remodel the market area and could build a new “flexi hall” next to Bury Interchange.

This new indoor hall would be used as a seven-day-a-week cultural, food and entertainment venue offering live music, pop-up markets and other events.

This comes after Altrincham Market was renovated in 2014, with financial support from Trafford Council, and a new 180-seat food court created.

But Markets Task Force chair, Cllr Jane Black, said the council, which owns the market, must keep an open mind as it plans the market’s long-term future.

She said: “The important thing really is to get some ideas from this piece of work. We don’t make assumptions.

“You’d be surprised at the number of people that say we need another Altrincham Market. Well, that’s one model in a very prosperous area.

“We have a core base of very loyal shoppers in Bury and we don’t want to throw babies out with bath water.”

Together with new hall, a cross-party group of councillors have also recommended introducing free parking and internet access at the market.

The group was tasked with creating a strategy for Bury Market to ensure it remains at the heart of the town’s retail experience for the next 20 years.

Cllr Black highlighted the short-term “quick wins” in the Markets Task Force report as well as the long term strategy it proposes such as the new hall.

She said: “Obviously, they need to be looked at in the context of the need to regeneration all our town centres in terms of post COVID recovery.

“It feels even more important that we have some short-term wins. There’s been some short-term business support from the government but locally we need to build on that and maintain the confidence of the traders.”

The short-term recommendations identified by the task group are: To build/re-establish the Market Traders Association.

* Investigate a reduction in, or free, parking charges after 3pm on market days.

* Seek marketing opportunities that appeal to a wider audience and to do collaborative offers across the market.

* Review trading days, for example having a shorter trading day but increasing market days Linking in with the events held during Bury’s year as the first Greater Manchester Town of Culture.

* Internet access for traders. Investigate options outside of the town centre full fibre roll out and the cost of wi-fi on the market.