The regeneration of the market area was one of the largest physical changes to central Pitsea in decades. The approved scheme covered the existing market, Northlands Pavement and the Railway Hotel area. It proposed the demolition of several familiar structures, new retail development, refurbishment of some surviving premises and a redesigned public realm.
The Railway Hotel had stood close to the station and High Road since the inter-war period and had become a prominent local landmark. After closing, it remained empty for several years. It was demolished in 2013 as work on the regeneration gathered pace.
The significance of this demolition to the market story is that the former Railway Hotel site became the location for the relocated market. In effect, a site long associated with one of Pitsea's best-known pubs was given a completely different commercial role.
The approved redevelopment specifically provided for the market to be relocated onto the Railway Hotel site, with capacity for 70 stalls and a canopy structure. This was not simply an informal scattering of pitches: the market formed an explicit part of the regeneration plan.
The wider scheme also proposed improvements to the public realm, car parking, servicing and landscaping. The intention was to retain market trading while reorganising the surrounding retail area.
Pitsea Swimming Pool was among the buildings demolished during the redevelopment. The former supermarket building nearby, which had latterly been occupied by Aldi, was also removed as the area was reorganised. Aldi relocated in 2014 to a new building on part of the former third-market site.
A proposed large supermarket building was subsequently completed, although the intended Morrisons occupation did not go ahead. The Range later took a substantial part of the building and opened there in 2016. These changes transformed the setting around the market from the layout familiar to shoppers of the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s.
By this stage Pitsea Market had demonstrated an unusual ability to survive major changes around it. The Station Lane market had been displaced by road building; the domed market moved as the district was redeveloped; the Northlands market was then reorganised during another regeneration programme. Each move changed the physical appearance of the market but preserved the tradition of open trading in central Pitsea.
The relocation created the basis of the market area used in the modern period. The market remained close to Northlands Pavement and the High Road, but its pitches were now associated with the redeveloped square on the former Railway Hotel side of the site. This explains why modern sources may still describe the market as being at Northlands Pavement even though its exact footprint has changed over time.