Pasar Besar Melaka Sentral to rise again after a decade of waiting

Nearly 10 years ago, 330 traders at Pasar Besar Melaka Sentral packed up their stalls and moved out. The building they had worked in for years was sinking. Engineers declared it unsafe. The traders moved to a temporary site in Bachang, 5km away. It was meant to be a stopgap until a new market could be built.

That new market is finally coming. Datuk Shadan Othman, Datuk Bandar of MBMB, announced on Sunday that the tender is expected to open next month. Construction will cost nearly RM15 million and take 18 months. The result will be a single-storey market on the original site next to Melaka Sentral bus terminal.

For the traders who spent a decade at the Bachang site, it marks the end of a wait. One that was never supposed to last this long.

How Pasar Besar Melaka Sentral was lost in 2016

In 2016, engineers detected land subsidence beneath the old Pasar Besar Melaka Sentral building. IKRAM assessed the structure and declared it unsafe. There was no option but to close it.

All traders relocated to a temporary market at Jalan Tun Fatimah in Bachang. The authorities subsequently demolished the old building on the Melaka Sentral site. What remained was a gap in the city centre. A market-shaped absence next to one of Melaka’s busiest transit hubs.

The authorities always described the Bachang site as transit or temporary. But temporary became months. Months became years. Traders built routines. Regulars found their way to Bachang. The temporary market quietly became the only wet market many Melaka residents had known for nearly a decade.

Reviews left by visitors tell the story plainly. One visitor wrote that renovation had been going for so many years they no longer knew when it would end. Another directed people to Bachang instead, noting the original site had already closed. The Bachang market kept traders working and fresh produce flowing. But it was never the destination the original was.

What the new Pasar Besar Melaka Sentral will look like

The new Pasar Besar Melaka Sentral will sit on the original site, next to Melaka Sentral terminal. That location matters. The original market drew bus commuters, nearby residents and visitors arriving at the terminal. That natural catchment was something the Bachang site could never fully replicate.

The building will be single-storey. The old structure was two storeys. Datuk Shadan said the single-storey design was deliberate. It makes things easier for traders and visitors, especially the elderly, without stairs or lifts.

It will house all 330 traders with full facilities. The design draws on the Serambi Melaka concept — a nod to Melaka’s heritage identity. The Housing Ministry approved the funding. Work is projected to finish in early 2028.

When the tender opens next month, it marks the first formal step. A building that has been promised, planned and deferred for nearly a decade is finally moving.

The Kota Laksamana market — a second piece of good news

Sunday’s announcement came at the Kempen Pasar Awam Bersih 2026 event at Pasar Wilayah Kota Laksamana. ADUN Kota Laksamana Low Chee Leong officiated the event. He also serves as Deputy Exco for Rural Development, Agriculture and Food Security.

Datuk Shadan also confirmed upgrading works at Pasar Wilayah Kota Laksamana are underway. A nearly RM1 million allocation from the Housing and Local Government Ministry funds the work. The works run in two phases beginning last year. They benefit 25 active traders and the surrounding community.

The Kempen Pasar Awam Bersih focuses on raising awareness about cleanliness in public markets. Flies, rats and mosquitoes thrive when markets are poorly maintained. Datuk Shadan said the campaign aims to make cleanliness a culture, not a one-off drive.

For the 330 traders at Bachang, the next 18 months will require patience. The Bachang market will continue operating until the new building is ready. But the tender opening next month puts the end point in sight. A fixed timeline, a confirmed budget, a named location.

Melaka residents have been making the trip to Bachang since 2016. The return of a proper market to Melaka Sentral restores something the city centre has quietly lacked. A wet market next to a major bus terminal serves commuters, residents and visitors simultaneously. That combination of footfall and convenience is precisely what made Pasar Besar Melaka Sentral worth rebuilding