Car boot traders are expected to move into a £1.3 million temporary market hall in the city centre.

Bradford Council is considering letting about 100 stalls in the temporary Rawson Market while it goes through the process of selling it.

The empty hall is the last part of a seven year-long markets fiasco which was blamed by many traders for putting them out of business.

It was built to house traders from the main Rawson Market while a multi-million pound refurbishment of the old building took place.

But Council hit funding problems and the redevelopment of the market never went ahead after the tenants left and the land formerly occupied by the old main hall - which was knocked down - has remained a demolition site ever since.

In the meantime the nearby John Street Market was redeveloped as the Oastler Shopping Centre at a cost of about £5 million, and stallholders from the temporary unit moved in last year.

Now the Council has decided to put the temporary hall and its surrounding area on the market with a view to redevelopment possibly as sheltered housing.

Car boot traders currently operating around the Oastler shopping centre on Sundays are now expected to be offered space in the temporary hall. Executive committee member for regeneration Councillor Simon Cooke said they expected about 100 traders to take advantage of the building.

But he added: "It will go on the market and a number of uses are being looked at, including a sheltered housing development for elderly people. It seems a good place because it is so close to the shops.

"We have got to take a strategic approach. The area is in Council ownership and it includes the temporary market, large car park, other surface parking and Bovis headquarters.

"It should be a key site for consideration by the Urban Regeneration Company."

After the former Rawson traders moved into the temporary market they claimed business slumped because of the lack of people passing through.

The site of the main market is being redeveloped by Keighley-based Chartback which wants to create a £8 million shopping complex with an Asian flavour.