Cinema development approved for Wakefield's market hall

Developers got the go-ahead to turn the site into a cinema complex with restaurants and cafes, this week.

The development, Trinity Walk Leisure, is expected to employ around 100 people across the nine-screen cinema and up to eight eateries.

Whilst some of the current market hall will be demolished, the new complex will incorporate the majority of the canopy and columns at the existing site on Union Street.

The scheme is said by developers and Wakefield Council to be the next phase of regeneration in the city.

A report from council planners states: "It is the applicant’s stated intention to work with the council to help provide employment for local people in the community who may be able to take advantage of the opportunities provided by the new development."

The council first announced their intention to sell the market hall, which opened in 2008, in February 2014.

The owners of Trinity Walk Shopping Centre, together with Sovereign Centros, submitted a planning application in March.