Macclesfield Market Hall may be handed to Grosvenor Centre

Cheshire East Council wants to stop running Macclesfield Market Hall, seven months after it reopened following a £2.4m refurbishment.

On Thursday 8 October its Cabinet will be asked to let officers open talks with the owners of the Grosvenor Centre, which surrounds the hall. The talks would cover handing over the running of the market, the freehold, or both. A sale to someone else is also on the table. (Cabinet report C/59/26-27)

Nothing changes for shoppers or traders yet. The report asks Cabinet for a direction and a mandate to negotiate. It would then hand the negotiations, and the final legal documents, to the council’s Executive Director of Place, in consultation with the cabinet member for planning, housing and regeneration.

What Cabinet is asked to approve

The report sets out six steps for Macclesfield:

• start discussions with the Grosvenor Centre’s owners about transferring the market operation and/or the freehold to the shopping centre
• carry out further “soft market testing” to see if anyone else is interested
• progress the option of selling to a third party, “to enable the Council to step back from direct involvement in market operations”
• confirm that Macclesfield Town Council has no interest in running the market
• explore the future management of the outdoor market with the town council and the Grosvenor Centre
• keep the council’s market charter, with the legal details settled in any transfer

The outdoor market in Market Square, held on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, is not part of the proposal itself. The Treacle Market is not covered at all.

Why the council wants out

The report is frank about the hall’s problems, even after the refit. It lists four:

• the hall is “hidden” inside the Grosvenor Centre, and shared legal rights and obligations limit the council’s control
• the council runs it in-house, but “comprehensive market management is significantly impacted by capacity and financial constraints”
• it “is still not fully let”
• its financial viability is “challenging”, in both the short and the medium term

None of the council’s four markets makes a surplus, the report says. Its detailed figures sit in a confidential appendix, so the size of Macclesfield’s loss is not published.

The report also points to the car park above the market. The council owns it and the hall, but the entrances and exits to the car park belong to the Grosvenor Centre. The report describes the car park as having a “high service charge cost base”. A deal with the centre’s owners could address ownership, access rights, service charges and parking together. The finance officer’s comments say that for Macclesfield it could also “mitigate wider non-market revenue costs”.

The report says the Grosvenor Centre was bought by new owners last year, and calls that “a strong opportunity”. It does not name them.

The refit, and what it was meant to do

The hall was rebuilt with £2.4m from the government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund. Work started in December 2024 and traders kept trading throughout. The council’s leader, Cllr Nick Mannion, opened the renamed Macclesfield Market Hall on 24 February 2026. (Cheshire East, 24 February 2026)

The work added:

• a new food hall and seating
• new stalls with better security
• new lighting, flooring and layout
• public toilets, including a Changing Places toilet, part-funded by Macclesfield Town Council
• artworks inside and out by Peachzz and Tom Edwards

At the opening, Cllr Mannion said: “Our ambition was to build a market hall that brings together the best of our local businesses, shines a spotlight on fresh regional produce, and gives traders a vibrant hub.” (Cheshire East)

The Cabinet report agrees the refit “significantly enhanced” the market. Its argument is that the council lacks the specialist staff to make the most of it.

The risk in a sale

The report weighs a straight freehold sale as “high / medium” risk. Its reason: a freehold sale “would mean the property does not have to be retained as a market for the benefit of the town”, and a buyer “could decide to develop other uses i.e. retail, leisure etc”.

The council would keep its market charter. That historic right, granted by Royal Charter, lets the council stop anyone else holding a market within 6.2 miles. It is separate from the building, and can be licensed to another operator.

The report also flags that up to six permanent council market staff may be in scope to transfer to a new operator, across all the markets it covers.

Wilmslow and Congleton too

The same report covers the council’s other markets:

• Wilmslow: the council’s market is now a single fish stall in Bank Square. Collecting its rent fortnightly costs the council about £700 a year more than it brings in. The council would hand it to Wilmslow Town Council, which wants to lease Bank Square for community events, or help the trader find another pitch. The monthly Wilmslow Artisan Market is separate and unaffected.
• Congleton: the 1988 market hall is described as “dated and unattractive”. The council would talk to neighbouring landowners and the town council about taking it on.
• Crewe: the market hall stays with its current operator until November 2027.

What it means for you

If you shop or trade at the Market Hall, it stays open as normal for now. Any change would come after negotiations with the Grosvenor Centre’s owners or another buyer. The report says an equality impact assessment must be carried out on whatever proposal emerges, because council markets tend to serve older and lower-income shoppers.

The deadline to register to speak at Thursday’s Cabinet passed on 2 October. The meeting starts at 10.30am at Delamere House in Crewe. (agenda)

If you park in the town centre, our parking in Macclesfield page lists every council car park and its charges.

We will report Cabinet’s decision when it is published.