Application to serve booze daily at city’s former market hall

Work is currently underway to transform the building into a new events space called Wakefield Exchange.

It is hoped the new premises will attract around 300,000 visitors a year and will support the regeneration of the city centre.

The new site will offer residents the chance to socialise and will feature events designed to boost the local economy.

The facility will contain food and drink outlets, featuring a range of cuisine created by independent and local businesses.

The application to Wakefield Council’s licensing department seeks permission for live music, dance performances and indoor sporting events at the new centre.

It also seeks permission to serve alcohol daily between 8am and midnight.

A brief description of the application states: “Mixed use events space offering live and recorded music events, artistic productions, festivals, shows, cinema experiences, daytime use for food led outlets, corporate events and consumer brand events.”

The £7.7 million transformation is being supported by funding from the department for culture, media and sport. It will also provide skills training opportunities for residents and workspace to attract businesses.

Yorkshire builder William Birch and Sons began work on the project last month. Work is due to be completed by the end of the year when the building will be handed back to the council.

There will then be a period for fitting out the events hall and the Wakefield Exchange will open to the public in spring 2024.

Traders were moved out of the market hall, next to Wakefield’s bus station, in 2018, having been there for 10 years. Many deemed the hall a failure, with stall holders complaining about low footfall.

For the last four years they have been doing business on the Cathedral precinct.