Major update expected on the future of Louth Cattle Market

Tomorrow afternoon, the District Council will hold a media briefing at their headquarters in Manby, where they will provide details of a report that is due to be considered by the Executive Board next Wednesday (July 12).

The future of the site has been a hot topic in recent years, but the discussion has largely been out of the limelight since April last year, when the ADV Partnership was chosen as the District Council’s preferred bidder.

Very few details were provided by the ADV Partnership at the time, although a spokesman said that their proposal would aim to be ‘appropriate for Louth and have the support of the local community’, in addition to increasing footfall to the town and generating new jobs.

Despite going on to be formally approved as the ‘selected bidder’ in July last year, no further updates or comments have been provided by the ADV Partnership or the District Council - despite multiple requests from the press and expressions of dissatisfaction from Louth Town Council.

With that in mind, today’s press briefing will be awaited with bated breath, with all interested parties keen to find out more about what might happen to the controversial site, subject to the approval of the Executive Board next week.

The initial marketing exercise for potential redevelopment of the Cattle Market site took place four years ago, and in July 2014 the District Council accepted a bid from McLagan Investments Ltd (c/o ASDA Stores Ltd), subject to contract and planning.

There was a great divide in opinion on this potential sale at the time, which even led to the formation of the pro-supermarket group ‘Move Louth Forward’ in opposition to Keep Louth Special, which did not want the site to be sold.

The ASDA bid was subsequently revised and, as a result, the sale did not go ahead. The current marketing exercise began in 2015.

Meanwhile, the District Council is committed to providing a replacement cattle market facility elsewhere in Louth if the current site is redeveloped, and for the new site to be in operation before the existing site ceases.

A site for a potential new cattle market is based in Bolingbroke Road, on the Fairfield Industrial Estate, and this site is in the District Council’s ownership.

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