Newcastle Grainger Market upgrades to make it less 'anonymous' for those who have no idea it's there

The historic market  is undergoing a £9 million overhaul that will include new doors, seats, and toilets installed and the city centre institution turned into a venue capable of hosting gigs and other cultural events.

But it is also hoped that the refurbishment, paid for via cash awarded through the Government’s Levelling Up Fund in 2021, will also make the Georgian building more appealing to passersby who have no idea about the huge collection of traders inside.

Councillors were told last week that improving signage around the market to direct people in and boosting its social media profile were key parts of the efforts to bring it into the 21st century and ensure it is far more than a hidden gem.

Paul Stewart, Newcastle City Council’s head of property, told an overview and scrutiny committee hearing last Thursday: “It can be anonymous, if you walk past the market and don’t know it is there. One of the things we are looking to do through the Levelling Up project is to improve signage and the reach through social media.”

He added: “The profile is significantly improving and that is driving more footfall into the market. But it is anonymous if you didn’t know it was there and that is something we have to try and change. It is the jewel in the crown in our city.”

The running of the Grainger Market was outsourced in 2023 to real estate consultants Knight Frank, with the council saying that a staff exodus from its property team meant that it could not effectively manage one of the city centre’s prime assets.

Mr Stewart said last week that the move had “really helped”, with the market currently having only one vacant unit and rent collections having improved, and claimed that the council may have even been forced to close the Grainger Market if the decision had not been taken – though stressed that would only have been as a “last resort”.

Knight Frank’s two-year contract is now set to be extended for another 12 months, with the council expected to hold a review of the market’s future management once the renovation works are complete.

Lib Dem councillor Wendy Taylor asked Mr Stewart about the proliferation of street food vendors in the market, which has sparked fears previously of more traditional stalls like its greengrocers or butchers being driven out.

The property boss replied that the market was currently 30% food businesses and the council was “not looking to go any higher than that”.

He added that extra seating space planned under the current building would offer foodies more opportunities to explore the rest of what the market has to offer when they pop in for lunch.

Mr Stewart said: “Just for good estate management process, it doesn’t make sense for us to push it too much on food. But when you look worldwide, markets are dominated by food – that gets people in the door and people who are having food then have more dwell time in there to purchase whatever else they want. That is a phenomenon everywhere.”

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The Grainger Market’s restoration will see its arcade area overhauled so it can stage a variety of events, with some stalls already having been demolished and businesses moved to create extra space.

A new staircase will be built at the Nun Street end of the arcade, taking shoppers up to a seating area on its currently-inaccessible upstairs balcony.

Other upgrades around the market will include:

• New terrazzo flooring tiles for the arcade
• Refurbished toilets
• Automatic sliding doors at all 14 entrances to the market, which it is hoped will reduce draughts and keep the market warmer in winter
• Underfloor heating installed for the new stepped seating at the Nun Street end of the arcade
• Improved decor, signage, and colour-changing LED lighting in the market’s alleyways
• More signage outside the market, as well as plants, to make it more visible and new paving that will lead customers into the building

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