St Mary's Market: Traders bemoan the 'disastrous' state of the market

Last year, the Star spoke to a handful of traders who raised concerns about the dwindling footfall and neglected condition of St Mary's Market, as well as a reported lack of communication with the council.

Almost a year later, traders say that these problems have only gotten worse and there is a feeling that they won't be resolved as the market will be demolished when it comes to Phase Two of the council's regeneration plans.

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Duncan said that issues with St Mary's Market has been ongoing for a decade (Image: St Helens Star)
Working at his mobile phone repair shop in St Mary's Market for almost two decades, 69-year-old Duncan Rose bemoaned that the market has increasingly deteriorated over the past decade.

The building's decline has been caused by issues with the air conditioning, the cleanliness of the floors and facilities, and holes in the roof not being properly resolved, the trader said.

When the weather has been particularly poor, as it has been in the early part of the year, it has flooded parts of the market and caused thousands of pounds worth of damage to stock, Duncan said.

Duncan said that his market stall has persistently suffered with flooding problems (Image: Duncan Rose)
Duncan said: "The state of the market is disastrous and this has been going on for more than ten years now.

"The flooding has ruined thousands of pounds worth of my stock over the years, and all I can do when the weather is bad is drive out to get new parts because mine have water damage.

"It's a ridiculous situation because I still have to pay the rent and bills even though it's the council's fault that the roof is leaking and ruining my stock."

Duncan has had to manage the best he can when flooding affects his stall (Image: Duncan Rose)
With the council's regeneration plans set to build new homes, offices, retail space, a hotel and market hall in the town centre, St Mary's Market will eventually be demolished and replaced by residential developments such as townhouses and apartments.

As this second phase of regeneration is planned to begin between 2025 and 2026, the council says that essential maintenance and improvements are routinely carried out at St Mary's Market, with repair works offered to those affected by flooding.

However, traders say that there has been limited communication with the council in recent years, and as building problems have reoccurred or have not been fully resolved, some believe that this is designed to put off the potentially costly work for as long as possible.

St Mary's Market has suffered from declining footfall in recent years (Image: St Helens Star)
Duncan added: "We were spoken to about the regeneration plans about three or four years ago, but there has been almost nothing since and I'm not allowed to speak directly to them.

"It's out of order and it feels like they are deliberately driving us out by not repairing the issues properly. There were about 30 traders a few years ago but there aren't that many of us left now.

"People look at the state of the market and think 'I'm not going in there', so I'm just lucky that I've built up enough clients over the past 18 years to keep me going."

St Mary's Market will be replaced with a modern market hall during the town centre regeneration (Image: St Helens Council)
A St Helens Council spokesperson said: "We continue to ensure that essential maintenance and improvements are carried out at St Mary’s Market (including the wider shopping centre area) pending the new Market Hall development.

"At the time of enquiry, our maintenance contractors were actively engaged in repair works with alternative stalls having been offered to traders impacted by recent flooding.

"With the Reserved Matters application now submitted and a main contractor appointed for Phase One of St Helens Town Centre's regeneration scheme, the detailed proposals and timeframes for delivery of the exciting new Market Hall have become clearer.

"Our partners at the English Cities Fund will shortly arrange dedicated engagement sessions with current market traders."