At a meeting in the Guildhall, restaurant owners, dry cleaners and shopkeepers joined forces to complain about plans to pedestrianise Gold Street as part of a £3m scheme to rejuvenate the area.

Takeaway owner Ehssan Paydar, who organised the meeting on Tuesday, said councillors had failed to understand the need of traders to have traffic flowing through the street to boost business.

He said: "This is our livelihoods they are playing with.

"They don't understand the support of the traders is paramount to the success of their scheme and they are ignoring us. Many of the businesses will face closure if the plans to limit deliveries and limit traffic go ahead."

He claimed the police response to late night crimes was also damaging business in the street and added: "We have a lot of fights with people from the pubs and clubs, and police simply don't turn up.

"It's like they don't want to know, and it really isn't helping the reputation of Gold Street."

Alberto Sgoluppi, owner of Caffe Morandi, said: "In 1997, there was a three-year wait for a stall on the Market Square, but now the square is only half full. It is not just Gold Street that is suffering.

"They want to change Gold Street, but they don't care that people will lose their businesses as a result."

A county council spokesman said: "This work is part of a multi-million scheme being carried out by Northamptonshire County Council, Northampton Borough Council and WNDC, which aims to improve the route from the train station to Northampton town centre.

"The county is due to undergo a great period of growth and it is vital that we create more employment, retail and leisure opportunity, which will be required by our larger populations.

"This body of work is a key part of rising to this challenge by improving the shopping areas and general environment of the town.

"The proposals for Gold Street should substantially improve the link between the train station and the town centre, to make it more welcoming to visitors and pedestrians and boost trade in the area."