The old Warrington Market Hall with its pyramid roof has almost disappeared as construction company Vinci press on with the main phase of the Time Square build. At the time of writing, the new multi-storey car park was within days of opening. It will formally open on 27 November.

The car park will be the second element of the Time Square project to be opened and completed. It’s a state of the art facility with 1160 parking spaces including electric car charging points. What’s more, initially, it’s possible to get three hours free parking by having your ticket validated by visiting reception at the market which will help boost trade in the market and for local shops in the town centre.

The offer at Warrington Market continues to go from strength to strength, great to see new arrivals Singh’s Grillhouse a Punjabi takeaway, the Liverpool Cheese Company and returners Funky Dory who have come back into the market. There’s a great mix and selection of products there and is ideal for your complete Christmas shop. The food court is proving a great draw; it’s busy all day and creates an energy and vibrancy in the market hall.

Warrington & Co. is the Boroughs partnership for growth, and we implement Warrington’s framework for growth Warrington Means Business a key element of which is nurturing small businesses and helping them grow and develop. The market is a great incubator for small businesses and it is a key objective that we encourage the market to thrive and the businesses within it to flourish and grow as we move toward the opening of the new permanent market hall which will open in 2019.

The Time Square project continues at a tremendous pace. We’ll be announcing an additional major leisure offer that will be another complementary big draw to the scheme in the coming weeks.

We are making great headway in potentially creating a Business Improvement District (BID) for Warrington Town Centre. The question as to whether to create a BID will be put out to a business ballot. Effectively if a BID is created it sets up a collective and independent voice for Warrington town centre businesses empowered to make decisions regarding the management of the town centre and events within it. Successful BIDS are in existence all over the country with local examples in Liverpool, Chester and Manchester. The ballot will be held throughout March and all businesses are encouraged to make their vote count. This is a great opportunity to shape the future of the town centre for years to come.