Antiques event hopes to boost beleaguered market

Traders at Northampton Market hope the event will bring customers to the site

Traders at a beleaguered temporary market have organised an antique and collectors event in a bid to bring customers to their interim location.

West Northamptonshire Council is carrying out an £8.5m renovation of Northampton's historic Market Square.

Traders have said they have been losing customers since their move to the Commercial Street car park during the work.

Steve Howsam, one of the organisers of Sunday's antiques event, said he hoped "people can come down and reassess we have a market in Northampton still".

The market moved to the Commercial Street car park on the edge of the town centre earlier this year

As well as antique and collectables, the regular traders will be open for business during the event between 10:00 and 15:00 BST, said Mr Howsam.

He said when the market moved in February "takings were OK, not great, but since then footfall has deteriorated weekly".

"We're really starting to struggle, hence why we've decided to do an event," he said.

Redevelopment plans include a new water feature, lighting scheme and public seating

The council won an £8.45m grant from the government's Future High Streets Fund to enable it to revamp its Market Square, which dates from 1235.

The square's surface has been removed, and its cobble stones will be cleaned and reused.

Work is also being carried out to replace the old light columns and drainage system, with fixed market stalls and a new water feature being installed.

Traders have been relocated to the car park until December 2024.

The Market Square's surface has been removed and work is under way to replace it

West Northamptonshire Council said the event was part of a "calendar of activities" being organised for the summer with the aim of attracting more people to market.

Daniel Lister, Conservative cabinet member for economic development, town centre regeneration and growth, said the market "has something for everyone".