The redevelopment of Dublin’s fruit and veg market on Chancery Street is finally happening, with work set to start in June.

The plans, which come at a cost of €26 million, are expected take two years to complete, and will see new shops, restaurants and at least 80 different stalls included inside.

Editor of Scoop Magazine Dee Laffan told Lunchtime Live this has been “a long time coming”.

“I think people are very eager to see something happen with the space; it’s such a beautiful building” she said.

“My main concern – which I think is the same as a lot of people’s - would just be that history is kind of remembered as what the space was, why it was created.

“And that was as a market for everybody, for the city, for people to use across a range of different kind of uses, from a market to a place of community."

'Inclusive for everybody'

Local Green Party Councillor for the North Inner City Janet Horner said these plans are “absolutely essential for the regeneration of the area as a whole”.

“People ultimately want to have something like that in the city that services everybody,” she said.

““[We need to ensure that] you can do your shopping but you can also go in and grab a bite [and] that there might be something happening there in terms of events the odd time that you go in.

“But I think it has to be inclusive for everybody and I do hope that they find that balance right.”

Joseph Duffy, one of several generations of the family over 125 years who worked here on the Joseph M Duffy and Sons. Photo: Sam Boal/RollingNews.ie. 15/08/2019.

Joseph Duffy, a fourth-generation florist who used to work in the market said he is “really anxious” to see this revamp happen within his lifetime.

“I’d hate to see it now being an expensive just tourists only [location],” he said.

“You need a good balance in these markets - people go to markets because they want value, they don’t go to pay high prices.

“You do need that banter among different stall holders maybe competing against each other to sell their produce at a good price.

“It draws people in from the local areas, not just for tourists.”

Callers working in other markets across the country also said that including variety in the type of shops would also increase the market’s offerings.

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Main image: What remains of stalls left in the Dublin Victorian Fruit Market. Photo: Sam Boal/RollingNews.ie. 15/08/2019