‘Infamous’ £800k Dewsbury shipping containers to finally get use
53 containers were bought by the council for an eyewatering £800,000 in 2021 to be used as temporary replacement stalls for traders at Dewsbury Market
Last updated 4th Jul 2025
Kirklees Council is finally set to make use of the steel shipping containers that have spent years gathering dust on a Dewsbury car park.
Fifty-three containers were bought by the council for an eyewatering £800,000 in 2021 to be used as temporary replacement stalls for traders who are to be moved out of Dewsbury Market while it undergoes a £15m facelift. Back in 2022, the cost of moving stallholders was estimated to be £2.3m.
Now this plan is gaining traction, with the structures to be located across Market Place, Longcauseway and Foundry Street where traders will be decanted next spring – another year later than planned. The council will be using 28 of the “colourful” containers, which it says will be “permanently” located in the town centre.
The majority have already been allocated to existing traders at Dewsbury Market. Others will be used for refrigerated storage and a switch room, and an information hub where traders and visitors to the market can find out more about plans for the market, town park and wider town centre.
Alongside them will be demountable stalls which can be taken up and down as required. There will also be space for food vans or similar to operate from the decant market.
The revamp of Dewsbury Market and creation of a brand new town park are two key parts of the Dewsbury Blueprint – the council’s overarching masterplan for investment in Dewsbury town centre – which aims to create more reasons for people to visit Dewsbury and spend time there from day through to night, thereby supporting local businesses and creating a more vibrant, family-friendly town centre.
Planning permission has already been granted for significant improvements to the existing Dewsbury Market site, which will see the revamped market and new town park sat side by side. The council hopes to make a safer, more pleasant area with lots of opportunities for different markets and events, while still retaining the historic market’s much-loved structure and character.
Councillor Graham Turner, Cabinet Member for Finance & Regeneration, said: “Market days are always some of our busiest days in Dewsbury town centre. Our aim is that we don’t miss a single day of market trading despite the move.
“We’ve put a lot of effort into making sure the decant process can be seamless, and that it will work well for our traders. We’ve also designed the temporary market to bring huge benefit to the rest of the town centre and vice versa – which is exactly how we look at all our blueprint projects as a whole. It’s going to be a brilliantly vibrant and colourful space, right on the doorstep of the arcade and town hall, and I’ll be visiting as soon as it’s opened.
“The plans for the historic market’s revamp, and linking this beautiful building to the brand new town park, are crucial in our wider blueprint for the town centre. It’s all about giving people more reasons to visit and more to explore once they’re here – and we’re threading this throughout the whole process, not just that ambitious end vision.”
Keith Ramsay, Chair of the Dewsbury Neighbourhood Board, said: “It’s fantastic to be able to share this positive news before my tenure chairing the Dewsbury Neighbourhood Board comes to an end.
“This temporary market will be a crucial part of delivering some of our most ambitious projects for Dewsbury, without missing a beat in terms of keeping our town centre alive and ticking. In itself it’s an exciting addition to the town centre – I can’t wait to see how the market, the arcade and the fantastic new space currently being created outside our beloved town hall can come together to breathe new life into Dewsbury.”
Construction work on the main market site is expected to take around 18 to 24 months, and the temporary market will remain in the town centre throughout. During this time, the temporary market will trade at full capacity three days a week – but the council hopes to have some form of presence at the market up to five days every week, including a secondhand market every Friday.
Once the permanent market has reopened, the council aims to continue offering a traditional market more days per week than it does currently, alongside other unique markets and events.