The 120-year-old Victorian-style market will see the addition of a new food court. About 30 roadside hawkers will be relocated to this new place.
The council had carried out heritage impact studies for two years and held numerous discussions with the parties involved.
Local Government and Flood Mitigation Committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow said the old structure of the market, such as the roof and steel beams, would be restored to maintain its heritage value.
He said the market had seen better days as the number of traders there had dropped over the years.
Chow said some 50 traders still operated there but business had not been great.
“After George Town was given the heritage status, things have changed. The number of customers has dropped and many stalls have closed.
“With the upgrade, we can revitalise the market again,” he said at a press conference in the market with city council officers.
In the 1900s, the local council bought over a cemetery land given to Kapitan Kling Mosque to build the market and police station at the cost of 21,000 Straits Settlement dollars.
The cemetery was relocated to Perak Road. The central police station still stands behind the market today.
The Campbell Street market was previously known as the Carnarvon Street Market as it was situated between the two streets.
It is the second market in the city centre, after Chowrasta, about a kilometre away.
City council heritage conservation director Noorhanis Noordin said the public was welcome to send in their suggestions on the market’s upgrade plans to [email protected] or call 04-259-2259.