Northampton's £12.4 million Market Square refurbishment will be fully completed next month, council says

An official reopening event at Northampton’s Market Square took place over the weekend, proving to be a hit with families and visitors.

However, work is not yet fully complete. West Northants Council has confirmed that the entire Market Square will be finished next month, marking the project duration at 21 months.

A WNC spokeswoman said: “A minor section of paving remains and will be completed by the end of November, but this doesn’t stop visitors from enjoying the newly refurbished Market Square.”

The project includes new paving, water features, seating, improved landscaping, a dedicated events space, and 18 fixed stalls. The bespoke stalls are equipped with electricity, water, and lighting, along with 19 pop-up tent stalls and an additional 26 pop-up tent stalls in the events space. The market can also accommodate up to 10 food concession vehicles.

In April, it was revealed that the market redevelopment had reached a cost of £12.4 million. The initial project cost was £8.4 million, fully funded by the Government’s Towns Fund. This figure later increased to £10 million during construction and was last reported to be at £12.4 million. WNC previously stated that this increase was due to "construction costs being significantly higher because of inflation and the lasting effects of the pandemic."

In October 2023, the Chronicle and Echo discovered in the council’s contracts register that the contract could reach up to £12 million. However, the council requested that the Chron refrain from sharing this information at the time to prevent the contractor from potentially increasing their costs. We did not disclose the information then to save taxpayer money.

The Chronicle and Echo has once again asked if and when WNC will release a final breakdown of costs, and it has been revealed that it will be at least a year until anything is published.

Opposition Labour councillor Koulla Joulley said: “We in the Labour Group are outraged that neither we nor the public will see a cost breakdown of the Market Square project for another year at least.”