By Lucy John
The demolition of an historic and previously-thriving town centre market is under way. The former Caerphilly Indoor Market in Pentrebane Street closed for good in January 2023. It made way for new and modern container-style market, Ffos Caerffili, which opened in Cardiff Road in April 2024. The move received some backlash from former traders of the old market, which had been trading for almost a century. Speaking to WalesOnline in August 2023 two former market traders said they had been largely out of work since the old market shut. As Pentrebane Street fell into disrepair another business owner said she felt she had no choice but to move away because she no longer had enough footfall to keep her shop afloat. In May 2025 existing traders on the street claimed they were losing hundreds of pounds in profit each week as anti-social behaviour had taken over the derelict part of town. In an update on Thursday, July 3, it was confirmed that demolition work has started on the old market building to make way for “ambitious plans”, which are part of the Caerphilly Town 2035 placemaking plan. The 拢21m project, led by Linc Cymru (part of Pobl Group) with support from Caerphilly County Borough Council and the Welsh Government 鈥檚 Transforming Towns programme, will deliver 72 apartments, seven commercial units, and public spaces to “enhance the town centre’s appeal”. Jayne Bryant, Welsh Government cabinet secretary for housing and local government, said of the development: 鈥淭he demolition and development of this site is an important milestone in the ambitious plans for Caerphilly’s town centre. 鈥淲ith the help of around 拢6m Transforming Towns funding from the Welsh Government this scheme will deliver much-needed housing in the town centre along with commercial units, which will go towards increasing housing supply in Caerphilly, supporting local businesses, and breathing new life into the high street.鈥 Cllr Jamie Pritchard, deputy leader of Caerphilly County Borough Council, added: 鈥淲e鈥檙e delighted to see the development of Caerphilly progress. “The demolition of the old market at Pentrebane Street will create housing, open space, and a healthy mix of commercial and retail units. This will allow more people to live and work in our town. 鈥淭hrough extensive community engagement and consultation we know that housing and new commercial opportunities is a major topic for Caerphilly residents and we鈥檙e pleased to be able to address that through the work of the Caerphilly Town 2035 placemaking plan. “This project will go some way towards injecting some vibrancy into the area so we look forward to getting on with the job.” Get daily breaking news updates on your phone by joining our WhatsApp community here . We occasionally treat members to special offers, promotions and ads from us and our partners. See our Privacy Notice .