Northampton market traders have now finished their final day of trading before they are temporarily moved down to a ‘death row’ car park for two years.
Traders finished their last day of trading before West Northamptonshire Council’s £8.4million refurbishment works begin at Market Square in February.
The traders will set up business in Commercial Street Car Park on Tuesday (January 31) for the next two years while the works are ongoing.
Speaking to the Chron, fruit and vegetable trader Joe Fitzpatrick said: “I’m feeling relieved. The time’s come to move on now. It’s been hanging over us for a long while. I’m sad but you’ve just got to move on. It’s an end of an era.
"Our fruit and vegetable stall has been going for 43 years here. This town is losing an asset.
"We’ve got to go down Commercial Street and give it a go. We’ll see. My gut feeling about the place is I’ve been down there and there’s just no footfall.
"I think the Market Square will be a nice place once the work is finished but it’s whether we can survive down Commercial Street to come back.
"The traders are worried about the future. It’s another nail in the coffin for the town centre.”
Joe’s dad, Eamonn ‘Fitzy’ Fitzpatrick, called CommercIal Street car park ‘death row’ and was fiercely against the move.
Before his death in November, Fitzy said: “I'm absolutely gutted. What they're going to do, after all these years, they're just going to wipe us out. They've got it all wrong. It's got to be the biggest mistake the Tories have ever made in this town, and they've made a few.
"Where are they sending us? Down there [Commercial Street]. Death row I call it.”
Elliott Jones, whose family have run Tony Jones Florist on the Market Square for over 100 years, said he is going to ‘try and give it a go’ down Commercial Street but is also in negotiations to open a shop in the Grosvenor Centre.
The florist said: “It is what it is. We’ve just got to keep plugging away.”
WNC councillor Daniel Lister, in charge of the Market Square project, said: “Opening at the new temporary location at Commercial St marks the beginning of a new chapter, paving the way for an exciting redevelopment of the Market Square, and creating a much better market for both visitors and traders alike.
“In the meantime, we are doing all we can for traders to ensure they’re able to thrive at this new location, and we hope they’ll join us in trying to make the temporary move a success.
“We also hope communities will continue to support them and we’re confident that they’ll win many new customers in this highly visible location.”
1. Market traders' final day of trading at Northampton's Market Square
The traders are being moved off the historic site for two years by WNC while £8.4 million refurbishment works take place Photo: Kirsty Edmonds
2. Market traders' final day of trading at Northampton's Market Square
The traders are being moved off the historic site for two years by WNC while £8.4 million refurbishment works take place Photo: Kirsty Edmonds
3. Market traders' final day of trading at Northampton's Market Square
The traders are being moved off the historic site for two years by WNC while £8.4 million refurbishment works take place Photo: Kirsty Edmonds
4. Market traders' final day of trading at Northampton's Market Square
The traders are being moved off the historic site for two years by WNC while £8.4 million refurbishment works take place Photo: Kirsty Edmonds