Halifax Borough Market: Lighting plans for Halifax's historic market in hope of making it a 'key player in the night time economy'

Calderdale Council has an ongoing multi-million pound plan to revitalise the Grade II listed building, both revealing and restoring original features including its clock, and re-purposing it for the 21st century.

The council is now seeking listed building consent, putting in proposals to the authority’s planners, for new lighting to be installed on the market’s exterior facades.

It would be placed on the facades of Southgate, Market Street, Albion Street and Russell Street.

Envisaging a role for the market in Calderdale’s night-time economy as a venue, in addition to the role its businesses have played since it first opened in the late Victorian era, the new lighting will be linked up by app or programme to be able to change colour to suit different events, if permission is granted.

The council says the current lighting system is now 30 years old, is outdated, unsightly and does not properly light Halifax Borough Market’s “majestic” exterior.

The council argues in supporting statements with the application: “A new external lighting scheme would drastically improve the buildings presence and legibility after daylight hours.

“It would signpost the market as a key player in the night time economy and local cultural landscape in-turn facilitating and signposting after-hours events in select areas of the market, for example, Albany Arcade.

“The placement of lighting modules at key junctures creates a dramatic appearance whilst keeping the number of external fixing points to a minimum, ensuring maximum impact with minimal impact to the heritage asset.”

The council’s supporting papers say proposed new light fittings are noticeably smaller than the current ones but will be in greater number to achieve the required level of illumination.

Although there is a small negative impact to the heritage of the building, benefits brought immediately for the market outweigh any negatives, cementing Halifax Borough Market as a key architectural asset in the centre of Halifax, argues the council.

The application – number 24/00298/LBC – can be viewed on the council’s Planning Portal.