At Next Phase, we work across all kinds of regeneration and property projects – from major food and market halls to meanwhile uses, listed buildings, and full high street strategies.

But sometimes, it’s the simple street market that reminds me why we do what we do.

Having consulted on countless markets over the years, I’ve seen first-hand the role they can play in transforming places. Markets like Hitchin – which I visited recently – really capture what makes them so special. These are more than just trading spaces. They’re community anchors – full of personality, resilience, and local character.

Last week, the Government confirmed the 75 local authorities awarded revenue funding to support local plan preparation and delivery under the new Plans for Neighbourhoods scheme. With funding now available, the task isn’t just to dust off old plans—but to sharpen, adapt, and deliver them with renewed purpose. Having supported several towns in developing their Long Term Plans under the previous administration, we’ve learned a few things that may help.

Today’s market halls are facing mounting challenges. Their Victorian grandeur belies an uncomfortable truth: many are underused, underfunded, and increasingly irrelevant to modern audiences. 

They need bold thinking. Investment. And tailored strategies that reflect local need, not national templates. We work with councils and communities to reimagine their markets—not just cosmetically, but operationally and financially. We help towns unlock funding, build business cases, and create market halls that serve as vibrant, inclusive places once again.

Based on local feedback, the vision features a blend of modern and craft retail, fresh food offerings, a new food and drink area with communal seating, and flexible co-working spaces, all aimed at supporting the town’s small business community.

As part of the early planning stages, Next Phase, on behalf of East Staffordshire Borough Council, is inviting expressions of interest from prospective operators and tenants who share this vision for a revitalised Market Hall. At this preliminary stage, expressions of interest will help assess the level of interest and inform initial discussions around potential site operations ahead of any future procurement process.

What is a food hall? The team at Next Phase and I encounter this question all the time, and for a good reason—the distinctions between food halls, street food markets, traditional markets and food courts are often blurred. Given the sector's growth and the diversity of offerings, has the time come to establish new classifications?

A few months ago, a food hall closed, and I was inundated with emails and calls from journalists and contacts asking if this was the beginning of the end for the food hall industry, with radio shows and articles discussing the industry's potential demise.

I felt the need to provide some context: while only one food hall has closed in the past year, an average of ten pubs, restaurants, or bars close every day.

At present, the UK boasts 97 food halls or multi-vendor operations, marking a significant 28% increase from 76 in June 2023. What's more, the number of food halls in development has skyrocketed by 138%, growing from 21 to 50 over the same period. This growth is a clear indicator of the industry's potential and the exciting times ahead.

There are multiple reasons for the growth and popularity of food halls, but these are some of the main factors presented in no particular order.

As consumer habits have changed, traditional markets have faced mounting challenges, becoming a pain point for operators since the turn of the millennium. As such, the question of ‘who should manage the market?’ is increasingly coming to the fore.

Britain's 'Levelling Up' strategy has been in place for some time now, aimed at reducing regional disparities and opening up new economic opportunities outside the Greater South East. The initiative covers a range of sectors, including transport, education, digital connectivity, and local government funding.

But has this ambitious strategy been effective so far?

I'm delighted that plans have officially been lodged for the ambitious £30m transformation of Earlestown Market. Working alongside my colleague Emma Forbes, we provided expert insights into the design, flexibility and operation of the market space. This project, a collaboration with St Helens Council and ECF (a regeneration partnership between Homes England, Legal & General, and Muse), is crucial in reshaping Earlestown to ensure the market remains an integral part of the town centre.

I'm thrilled to share the latest developments in the Bacup Market Hall project, a significant endeavour aimed at revitalising Bacup's town centre. As the market expert on this project, alongside my colleague Emma Forbes, we've been deeply involved in working with the project team, helping to shape the design, operations, and business strategies to ensure the market is a vibrant community hub.

It's always exciting when you get to freely discuss a new project, especially when you have been working on it for a while. Last week saw the official launch of the Cotton Works project, a £180m redevelopment of a Grade II-listed Cotton Mill complex in Wigan. Spread over 17 acres, it comprises three mill buildings and associated sheds, warehouses, and offices.

…At Next Phase, we are witnessing an increasing number of projects making this same decision and have coined the term "Proporators" for these landlords and developers. The reason may be similar to Heaton's: the desire for hospitality to match the quality of the development. However, developments may also be located in towns or areas where finding operators of the level of quality that the schemes demand could be challenging.

Today marks the official launch of Next Phase, a pioneering consultancy launched to redefine the property landscape by introducing creative and exciting solutions to new projects and bringing new life to vacant and underperforming properties to transform local communities.

In my last piece, I focused on the large city-based food halls with their unique locations and impressive size, imagining them akin to the few football teams with the resources to chase Champions League glory. Hoping not to take this analogy too far, in the UK we have the FA Cup, the greatest football competition of all, where teams from cities, towns, villages and suburbs across the country get a chance at the big time. In the food hall world we have some smaller local food halls that punch well above their size and location and, on the right day, with the loyal support of their fans, can create a giant-killing upset.

When considering the future, it is always sensible to consult the past. In my opinion, two openings from 2014 played pivotal roles in shaping our modern food hall scene. One is Time Out Market Lisbon, a 32,000 square-foot food hall with 900 covers, 26 kitchens, eight bars and cafes and five shops. The other is Altrincham Market in Greater Manchester, a converted market hall of no more than 6,000 square feet with 180 covers, six kitchens, two bars and a coffee shop.