'Frustration' as £5m market remains shuttered

The long-awaited opening of Newton Abbot's new Market Hall remains on hold while "due diligence" is carried out about its future operations.

Shoppers said they were frustrated the new market building was sitting empty with many airing frustration on social media and one saying: "At the moment it's another white elephant."

The regeneration of the Market Hall was funded by £5m from the government's Future High Streets Fund, and was completed in June.

It was due to open in the autumn but Teignbridge Council was still going through the formalities and David Palethorpe, the councillor leading the project, said: "We understand the frustrations but we'd rather do this slowly and get it right."

One shopper told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "If this was a privately-owned building tenants would have been lined up before the work was even finished. No excuse for these delays."

Palethorpe, who is the council's executive member for economy and major projects, said: "Much like a house purchase, you carry out due diligence, which can take longer than initially foreseen due to complex legal frameworks."

He said rents have not yet been decided and would be set by the operators that take on the market.

Palethorpe had hoped it would open before Christmas and said there were discussions about staging festive events in the market square.

He said he was "as disappointed as anyone else" about the delays to reopening and added he hoped the development would make Newton Abbot a 21st Century market town.

Teignbridge Council said it was working with organisations keen to take on the market, which is due to include dedicated street food units, a bar, a cafe and up to 10 fixed stalls alongside flexible spaces for day-traders, craft markets and community events.

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