PICTURES: Take a bird's eye view at how £10 million works to Northampton's Market Square have progressed over seven months

Take a look at a bird’s eye view at how multi-million pound works to Northampton’s iconic Market Square have progressed over the last seven months.

The £10million works to transform the town’s historic Market Square started in the first week of February and are set to take around 18 months to complete from that date.

The council has confirmed to this newspaper works are still on track to be completed by summer 2024.

Once complete, the site will include new “high-quality” paving and materials, a “flexible” event space, “bespoke” fixed stalls, more trees, tiered seating and an “interactive water feature”, according to WNC.

Conservative councillor Daniel Lister, the WNC politician in charge of the project, gave his latest thoughts on the project.

He said: "It is fantastic to see how works are progressing at Market Square. Our colleagues at Stepnell are working hard to carrying out vital regeneration works to this historic square, which will create a revitalised square for all to enjoy. Market Square has been Northampton’s centre for trade and a place for the community to gather for hundreds of years, and we want to make sure that remains the case for the future.

"As we work in collaboration with Museum Of London Archaeology (MOLA) to keep a watching brief throughout the works, we’re delighted to see the incredible finds they’ve discovered along the way.

“We are now reaching major milestones as we install essential services for market stalls, and begin planting for the tree lined avenue, which will add a real feature to this area. We look forward to continuing to work with traders and businesses to keep them informed throughout the work and open the rejuvenated space next summer.”

The council has provided an update as to where the contractors, Stepnell Limited, are after seven and a half months into the project.

• Tree Root Pits on the East Side

The installation of tree root pits along the eastern side, intended for the new avenue of trees, is progressing as planned.

• Water Feature Services Outside Waterloo House

Work is underway to install services running from the water feature plant room to the water feature holding tank in the southern section of the Square, particularly near Waterloo House.

• Water Feature Holding Tank in the South West

The construction of the new water feature holding tank in the southwest corner has entered the structural reinforcement and concrete phase. The water feature infrastructure and concrete slab will be added from south to north.

• Excavation for Drainage and Ducts

Excavation work continues across the Square as the groundwork for new drainage and duct systems is laid in preparation for the installation of the new stalls.

• Porphyry Paving and Reused Cobbles in the North East

In the north eastern part of the Square, work is ongoing to install porphyry paving and reuse cobblestones, enhancing the Square's aesthetics while maintaining its historical character.

A WNC spokesman previously said that the costs of the project has increased to around £10 million from the initial £8.4million budget.

The spokesman said: “The initial construction cost for the project at £8.4 million was outlined in early 2020. Three years on, construction costs are significantly higher due to inflation and lasting effects of the pandemic. The revised projected cost is £10 million, which is being funded through different funding streams including £8.4m from the Future High Street Fund, Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) which can only be spent on infrastructure projects, and £500,000 reallocation for other capital works.

“There are many live services and complex aspects of this large-scale programme but work is progressing well within the schedule.”

Meanwhile, down at Commercial Street car park, traders are still saying there is a lack of footfall at the temporary site.

Take a look at how Northampton’s Market Square is looking now with the pictures below.