Newton Abbot Market Hall: Why is the new £5m building still closed?

The long-awaited opening of Newton Abbot’s new Market Hall remains on hold while ‘due diligence’ is carried out ahead of its future operation.

Shoppers in the town have expressed their frustration on social media as the new market building remains empty.

But the councillor leading the project has insisted: “We understand the frustrations but we’d rather do this slowly and get it right.”

The regeneration of the town centre Market Hall was funded by £5 million from the Government’s Future High Streets Fund and was completed in June.

An opening date had been pencilled in for the autumn, but Teignbridge Council is still working through the formalities.

Frustration has been voiced on social media, with one commenter asking: “Surely you’d have done your due diligence and had this sorted in time for completion of the building work? At the moment it’s another white elephant.”

Another said: “If this was a privately-owned building tenants would have been lined up before the work was even finished. No excuse for these delays.”

A third commenter added: “This isn’t a situation which has suddenly come from nowhere. The council has had YEARS to get its act together for this project.”

Cllr David Palethorpe (Lib Dem, Ipplepen), the council’s executive member for economy and major projects, said: “We understand the frustration people feel. However, we’d rather do this slowly and get it right to secure the successful, long-term future of the market.

“And, much like a house purchase, you carry out due diligence, which can take longer than initially foreseen due to complex legal frameworks.”

Cllr Palethorpe said rent levels had not yet been decided. They will be set by the operator that takes on the market, rather than by the council.

“This is one of the reasons we have to carry out rigorous due diligence to ensure the market is in a position to be run sustainably going into the future,” he added.

He said the council was working with organisations interested in taking on the market.

“It’s very important we carry out rigorous due diligence and take the correct and proper advice to protect the taxpayer and ensure the long-term future of the market,” he added.

Responding to concerns about whether enough traders would be interested in moving in, he said the new market operator would be responsible for selecting them.

When it opens, the market will feature dedicated street food units, a bar, a café and up to 10 fixed stalls, alongside flexible spaces for day traders, craft markets and community events.

A central staircase is set to be a stand-out feature of the new market.