New market for Gloucester
8 September 2000
New market for Gloucester
By FWi staff
GLOUCESTERS doomed cattle mart is to be replaced by a new out-of-town market it was revealed on Friday (08 Sep).
Major banks and agricultural suppliers are said to be supporting the scheme, which will see a new 15-acre site developed on the northern edge of the city.
The current 50-acre cattle market at St Oswalds Road has been earmarked for two new hotels, 400 homes, shops, restaurants and leisure units in a 100m project.
Work is expected to start on the new cattle market next year, and it will operate under the control of local auctioneers Hamiltons.
The market is off Gloucesters northern bypass between the Longford and Elmbridge Court roundabouts, and actually falls in the borough of Tewkesbury.
A formal planning application has been made to the authority.
Hamiltons Chris Turney said: “This is literally five minutes from the motorway and one of its most important features is that articulated trucks can get straight in and out without touching the rest of the city.
“We have seen the closure of markets like Banbury over the last couple of years and it is clear we are heading towards a situation in this country where sales are concentrated in a small number of centres of excellence.
We intend to be among them.”
The market is designed to be able to handle 1,000 cattle and 4,000 sheep at a time, and is close to the M5 and the A40 between Oxford and Wales.