Traders and shoppers at Newcastle’s historic Grainger Market can finally celebrate the end of a costly and heavily-delayed refurbishment project.
Scaffolding has dominated a section of the city centre market for years as engineers have worked to replace the site’s “crumbling” barrelled roof. The troubled works were meant to be completed three years ago, in March 2020, but have dragged on after being hit with a number of setbacks – with Newcastle City Council forced to borrow almost £2m extra to cover the spiralling cost of the scheme.
But there is good news at last, with officials confirming that the renovation is now complete and the scaffolding will be removed in a matter of weeks. Attention now turns to the next upgrade of the beloved Geordie institution, which was awarded £7m of Levelling Up funding from the Government in 2021.
