Save Leeds Market - The story of a 250,000 signature petition and a victory for people power

The message was clear in 1986 - Save Leeds Market. More than 250,000 people signed a petition opposing a redevelopment proposal put forward by Leeds City Council with Dutch developers MAB(UK) and Norwich Union as major investors. The plans involved retaining the 1875 and 1904 Halls, but replacing the rest with a new single market hall, new shops, a new bus station and multi-storey car park. The scheme proved unpopular and was opposed by the Market Traders' Association as well as Leeds Civic Trust. In order to see the plans through, a compulsory purchase order was required by the council and this was refused by the Secretary of State for the Environment. A four year campaign of opposition ended in victory when the plans were formally dropped in 1990. Enjoy these rarely-seen photos, plucked from the YEP archive, which tell the story of the long-running saga. READ MORE: Walk around Kirkgate Market during the 1980s | Changing Leeds - The night Kirkgate Market was devastated by fire