City Hall is appealing to the new government for permission to relocate the livestock market out of Norwich in an effort to end a legal wrangle stretching back decades.
Labour-run Norwich City Council is seeking a change in law to be able to move the facility from its current site near Hall Road, where it has been for around 60 years, to another location outside the city boundary.
Due to an Act of Parliament from 1984 the authority is required provide a site for such a market within the city.
However, it now argues this is "not feasible" because of the extensive repair work required at the current site, on an industrial estate between Lakenham and Tuckswood, and a lack of financially viable alternatives.
Previous attempts to get the law changed and allow a move to go ahead have failed.
But the council hopes the new Labour government - which has prioritised planning reform and economic growth - will help it overturn its legal obligations.
The Hall Road site was bought by entrepreneur Graham Dacre in 2010, but is leased back to the council for use by the livestock market.
The authority says the facility requires huge amounts of work, including the demolition of a former auction building, removal of asbestos, and major repairs to the parking areas and roadways.
Rather than spending money on expensive improvements, officials want to see the market relocated outside the city boundary near major transport routes such as the A11 or A47.
While no potential sites have been identified, the council has previously sought to move the market to Easton and has launched a public consultation to locate new options.
HALL ROAD HISTORY
The cattle market was held in the centre of Norwich from the 17th century until the 1960s.
It used to be traditional for children to line the streets and pat the animals as they made their way past, with cattle from across the country making their way to the city centre, sold alongside rabbits, chickens and pigs.
The market used to be held where Castle Quarter is now located, with hundreds of pens located around the castle itself.
But since the 1960s it has been trading on a site close to Hall Road and is now one of the last trading markets within East Anglia.
Mr Dacre bought the site from the council in 2010 but leased part of it back to City Hall for its continued use as a livestock market.
The council lost a High Court battle in 2018 after taking the controversial decision to surrender that lease.
This triggered a legal challenge by Norwich Livestock Market, which said the authority had breached its obligations to provide a facility within the city's boundaries.
Norwich City Council remains the leaseholder of the 3.25 acre site and is responsible for most of the repair liability.
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The site has more recently been troubled by protestors who have been demonstrating at the market over the last few years.
The anti-meat activists have blocked trucks from entering the site and there have been angry exchanges and arrests on both sides - with protestors and farmers accusing one another of "intimidation".
WHAT HAPPENS NOW?
Norwich City Council has launched a public consultation into the proposed change in law which will run until August 26, before members vote on the plans in an October meeting.
The changes in law are hoped to be achieved by a new private bill which will be taken to parliament by a local MP, as yet unnamed.
The bill would ensure that any new market will be equivalent to the existing market and be within proximity of the existing facility and close to the A11 or A47 to ensure livestock producers can continue to have access to a local market.
Zoe Leach, regional director of the National Farmers' Union, said she welcomed the consultation after "prolonged uncertainty".
Details can be accessed via the Norwich City Council website.
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