Labour warns council leaders must answer traders' questions over two-year Northampton Market move

Labour councillors are calling on planners to listen to traders' concerns over moving Northampton Market to a car park on the edge of town for two years.

Stalls will be relocated to Commercial Street, next to Carlsberg roundabout, from August while the 800-year-old Market Square gets an £8.4million facelift.

Livid traders fear the move will kill off the market before work is finished in 2024 and sent the Tory-controlled council a petition with 9,000 signatures demanding a re-think.

West Northamptonshire Labour group deputy leader Emma Roberts warned the council's Cabinet cannot ignore their concerns.

Councillor Roberts said: "I have heard from traders on the market that they feel they haven’t been listened to regarding the move to Commercial Street.

"They want to know why options they suggested, to keep the market in the heart of the town centre, haven’t been considered.

"The Cabinet cannot just ignore the thousands of people who have petitioned for the council to re-think their plans to move the market.

"I have been contacted by residents in my ward concerned about the decision and residents in the town centre who have been really disappointed by the response received to their concerns raised.

"I have written to the responsible cabinet member and asked them to give councillors a full briefing on the process and to give a detailed breakdown as to why other sites and suggestions were deemed to be unsuitable.

"What’s important here is that at the very least our market traders and the people of Northampton feel they have been listened to. Far too often our residents feel that politics is being done to them and not with them.”

Cllr Roberts, who represents Delapre and Rushmere ward, has also asked for members to be given a full briefing on all alternative locations for the market which were explored by the council and a detailed explanation as to why they were dismissed.

Council leaders insist the move to Commercial Street will enable the whole market to be kept together.

Abington Street and Wood Hill were ruled out because of planned improvements scheduled to start in 2023.

Moves to the old Greyfriars bus station, Albion Place and Upper Mounts car parks and Becket's Park were also dismissed.

Councillor Lizzy Bowen, council Cabinet member for town centre regeneration, said: “We know many of the traders would have preferred to stay on Market Square while the redevelopment takes place, but this would cause significant delays and additional costs.

“We worked through several different options and even looked at an empty unit in the Grosvenor Centre as a possibility.

“All of the other options would have meant splitting the market up to some degree, which would have reduced the potential footfall to each separate area.

“Situating the whole market at Commercial Street car park will increase its visibility as it will be located at a very busy road junction.”

But one trader, Eamonn Fitzpatrick — who has been part of the market for nearly 60 years — said: "Two years in Commercial Street, there's no coming back from that, then there won't be anything left in the town centre. What West Northamptonshire Council is doing is barmy."

READ MORE: Council snubs market traders’ 9,000-strong petition against market move