–Bourda Market set for complete reconstruction
GEORGETOWN’S iconic Stabroek Market is set to undergo a five-year restoration and expansion programme, while Bourda Market will be completely rebuilt as part of a broader initiative to preserve the capital city’s historic character and improve its urban infrastructure.
Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Priya Manickchand, announced the plans during the Guyana Dialogue programme, describing the market projects as key components of a wider transformation strategy for Georgetown.
“I just got a report on the Stabroek Market. For the next five years, Stabroek Market is going to be restored and extended, and Bourda Market is going to be rebuilt completely,” Manickchand said.
The minister related that restoring Stabroek Market, which has stood for well over a century, is far more complex than constructing a new building, as the project must preserve its historic features while adapting it to meet modern commercial demands.
She said, “If you want to see a plan for that, you can’t see it now because we’re still in the process of getting the details of what restoration looks like if you’re talking about something built 100 years ago, and then how do you accommodate the people who can no longer fit in this restored building by an extension that does not take away from the aesthetics of it?”
She noted that such projects require extensive technical planning and cannot be completed overnight.
Manickchand said: “Those are very detailed things that don’t happen overnight, but the conversation and the action behind the scenes are happening.”
Declared open in 1881, Stabroek Market remains one of Guyana’s most recognisable landmarks and is considered one of the finest examples of Victorian cast-iron architecture in the Caribbean.
The market has served for generations as the country’s principal trading hub. Bourda Market, which has also played a significant role in Georgetown’s commercial life for decades, remains one of the city’s busiest municipal markets.
Manickchand stressed that the government’s vision for Georgetown goes beyond the construction of modern high-rise buildings.
“We’re not looking to build out only the glass buildings and the high-rises. We’re looking to restore. Restoration is different from construction,” she said.
The Georgetown transformation initiative, she noted, also includes plans to improve traffic management, preserve green spaces, create walking tracks and protect the city’s architectural, artistic and cultural heritage.
The minister explained, “The transformation of Georgetown includes the restoration of buildings that we have, how we can organise the city in a way so that transportation is orderly and that the usage of the roads is orderly, how we can maintain our green spaces so that we don’t give up that part of our heritage, how we can make walking tracks around the country, and how we could preserve our art and our history.”
According to her, the government is working with experts from the United Kingdom-based King’s Foundation, who are currently in Guyana helping to develop a comprehensive master plan for the capital city.
The collaboration is intended to ensure Georgetown’s development respects its historic identity while preparing it for future growth.
She also underscored the importance of community involvement in the redevelopment process, particularly for projects affecting market vendors and users.
“Whatever we want to do with the Stabroek Market, we would first have to engage the market’s vendors, users, stakeholders, and the City Council. We would present the problems, explain what we want to fix and how we propose to fix them, and then ask, “How do you feel about this?”” she said.
Manickchand added that public feedback would help shape the final master plan, noting that many international organisations supporting heritage restoration require documented community consultation before projects can move forward.
The restoration of Stabroek Market and the rebuilding of Bourda Market are expected to become centrepieces of the government’s long-term vision to modernise Georgetown while preserving the rich history, architectural character and cultural identity that have defined Guyana’s capital for more than a century.
The planned rehabilitation of the Stabroek Market forms part of a wider government push to upgrade public infrastructure.
In the 2026 National Budget, the government earmarked approximately $2 billion for rehabilitation works at the Stabroek Market and the future redevelopment of Bourda Green.
