Final part £12.4 million refurbishment of Northampton's Market Square completed after nearly two years of work

Following a total of 22 months, contractors Stepnell, on behalf of West Northamptonshire Council (WNC), has finally completed the major refurbishment of the Market Square.

The previously unfinished corner of the site, adjacent to the former Corn Exchange building, had incomplete paving.

However, this corner has now been finished this week, with fencing scheduled for removal on Friday (November 29).

Confirming the completion, a WNC spokeswoman said: “The final work was finished this week, including the installation of automated bollards yesterday and fire service training. The fence around the site will be removed today.”

The project was initially expected to take 18 months but overran by four months.

When asked about the delay, a WNC spokeswoman said: “The regeneration of Northampton Market Square is a large, expensive project with many complex parts. Projects like this have a 12-month period for fixing any issues.”

Reacting to the news, one market trader said: “About time!”

Aerial photos reveal evolution of Northampton's Market Square during 18-month, £12.4 million revamp

Market traders were moved off the square in January 2023 and relocated to Commercial Street, with work commencing on February 1, 2023.

After a year and a half struggling to make a living in Commercial Street, market traders returned to a partially completed square in September.

The £86,000 grand opening of the Market Square then took place over the weekend of October 19–20, despite the aforementioned corner near the Drapery remaining incomplete.

The councillor in charge of the project, Conservative councillor Daniel Lister previously said: "This is just the end of the beginning. The town needs to start adapting to the new world of retail, and this is our flag in the sand that says, ‘We want to change, we want to work with the town, we want to develop what we’ve got here.’”

The project features new paving, water features, seating, enhanced landscaping, a dedicated events space, and 18 fixed stalls. These 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 by this newspaper 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 rose to £10 million during construction and was last reported at £12.4 million. WNC previously attributed the increase to "construction costs being significantly higher because of inflation and the lasting effects of the pandemic."

This newspaper has submitted a Freedom of Information request for a full breakdown of the project costs but was informed that the details will not be available until the end of 2025.

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.”

A series of Christmas activities have been announced to take place at Northampton’s Market Square over three Saturdays in December.