Council offers £250,000 three-year contract to run new Ffos Caerffili container market

Caerphilly County Borough Council has put out a three-year £250,000 contract tender for a company to run its new container-style market in Caerphilly town.

Work is currently underway building Ffos Caerffili, which is set to open in November, and businesses are being urged to submit expressions of interest for units via the market’s website – although there is still no word on how much rent is expected to be.

According to the contract tender documents posted to the Sell2Wales website, the successful bidder to run the market will be responsible for a range of services including designing and managing events which bring in the community, working closely with the traders, and day-to-day management.

Deputy leader of Caerphilly County Borough Council, Cllr Jamie Pritchard said: “This is an exciting opportunity to be a part of this new venture in Caerphilly – the first tangible step in the Caerphilly 2035 plan.

“Following significant early interest, we are looking forward to formally receiving expressions of interest from potential vendors and operators.”

Construction on the market – which will have a mix of shops, restaurants, bars and offices – began in May. A five-year temporary permission was initially granted, but the development was given permanent permission last month.

Plans for the market also include a regular programme of events.

The market is part of the council’s Caerphilly 2035 masterplan, which aims to regenerate and transform the town centre.

What will the market look like?

According to the design and access statement, Caerphilly County Borough Council is aiming for a set-up similar to Goodsheds in Barry.

As customers enter the market from Cardiff Road they will be faced with shops on their left, a bar area in the middle and seating to their right.

The application states: “The ‘street’ of retail units to the left will have suspended ‘bus-stop’ style signage, creating an exciting and engaging scene, advertising the range and variety of retails on offer.”

Food and drink stations will be located on the upper floor, with covered seating. Additionally, four of the containers will be used as office spaces aimed at start-up businesses.

The roof of the market is proposed to have a range of finishes including a green roof blanket, which will catch rain water, a canopy, and container roof.

External space for pop-up stalls is also included in the plans, which would be used during events such as the Big Cheese or the annual Christmas market.

According to the plans the most important part of the development is “maximising its presence” on Cardiff Road – this will be done by a visually enticing entrance.

Linc Cymru and the council have plans to demolish the existing Caerphilly Indoor Market building on Pentrebane Street and replace it with flats.

Additional reporting by the Local Democracy Reporting Service.