THE owners of a rock venue are among the new tenants of Crewe's redeveloped Market Hall.

Crewe Dog and Mini Beans Coffee have been revealed as the first tenants of the hall, which has been undergoing a £3 million redesign with a view to reopening this spring.

Two months ago Cheshire East Council announced a partnership with Market Asset Management to run the hall and since then talks have been held with prospective stallholders and businesses looking to take up space in the Grade II-listed building.

Northwich-based pub venue Salty Dog is behind the Crewe Dog branding and will be taking over the bar in the new hall.

As well as specialising in craft beers from its mid-Cheshire base, The Salty Dog has developed a reputation for staging regular live music and comedy nights under its owner Chris Mundie, a former member of punk band The Business.

The punk genre has featured heavily on the schedule with the likes of 999, The Vibrators and Steve Ignorant playing, while the pub was also one of the venues for Charlatans frontman Tim Burgess' North by Northwich festival in 2018.

The revamp of the market hall, which has been closed for trading since 2018, has involved a change in emphasis and council chiefs have talked about creating "a new shopping and dining experience, bringing street food, fresh food produce, independent retail and live entertainment together under one roof."

They say there will be a regular programme of events, pop-up stalls and entertainment.

A statement on the Crewe Market Hall Facebook page said: "We are extremely excited to announce that The Salty Dog is bringing its very own version to Crewe in the form of The Crewe Dog.

"Taking occupancy of our bar within the Market Hall, The Crewe Dog will be bringing craft beers as well as extensive experience in running bars and entertainment venues."