NEVER-before-seen images show what Birkenhead’s brand new market could look like.

The future of the Wirral market has been a very controversial topic this year.

Wirral Council's original plan, to move traders from the current site to a temporary market in St Werburghs Square before a permanent facility was ready, got ditched after a backlash from traders.

The new plan is for Birkenhead Market to have just one move, to the former House of Fraser building on Grange Road, a site which will also contain residential space.

Wirral Globe:

This is what the new market could look like (Credit BDP Mark Braund)

A council meeting earlier this month saw a motion passed for the plan to move forward.

This means that traders are set to move into the new site by the end of 2024, although the plan is not set in stone as consultation with stall owners and more design work must take place before the new market is finalised.

This proposal was made possible after Wirral Council bought the former House of Fraser store for £2.1m, a sum it will recoup from a grant it has received from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority.

As well as this money, Wirral Council has allocated more than £14m from the £24.6m it was awarded as part of the Government's Future High Streets fund to redevelop Birkenhead Market.

The new market is just one part of huge plans for Birkenhead, which include new office space, new food and drink outlets and a new park, among many other things.