Inside the sudden closure of Birmingham’s Priory Square and Oasis Market: What really happened?
We sent our reporter Richard Gullick to find out what's really going on there.
A well-known corner of Birmingham city centre closed its doors for good.
The Priory Square Shopping Centre, home to the iconic Oasis Market, has shut down over fire safety concerns.
Watch the video for the full report
But with developers circling and regeneration plans already approved nearby, many believe there's more to this story.
Traders say they've been left in the dark, with livelihoods lost and questions unanswered. The centre shut for good on March 25.
The shutters came down overnight - without warning, without fanfare.
For decades, Priory Square and the Oasis Market offered an alternative to the corporate high street.
Independent traders, vintage fashion, record stalls, tattoo parlours - it was scruffy, yes, but also soulful.
That soul has now been gutted. The official reason? Fire safety.
A recent assessment flagged critical risks, and the cost of fixing them was labelled "unreasonable."
Some had been here for thirty years. No compensation.
No relocation plan. Just lockouts, unanswered emails - and for some, a complete loss of livelihood.
Their shops were more than just businesses. They were identities, meeting places, anchors.
The site sits inside the Martineau Galleries regeneration zone - an already approved scheme promising luxury flats, office blocks, and a glossy public square.
Just a few hundred metres from the planned HS2 station. Coincidence? Maybe. But to those pushed out, it feels like a stitch-up.
A cultural space shut down on safety grounds - but conveniently positioned for demolition. The council says the fire risks left them no choice. And technically, they may be right.
But legality isn't the same as fairness. And the silence from those in charge only deepens the mistrust.
Birmingham says it's building for the future. But futures aren't built from scratch - they're built on what already exists. What already matters. Independent culture is being priced out.
Local voices, side-lined. Progress, it seems, comes at a cost - and this time, it's a piece of Birmingham that's been quietly erased.