Town's £15m upgrade has 'negative impact' on trade

Building work to improve St Neots Market Square started in January 2024

Ongoing work to complete a £15m regeneration of a market town has created a "negative impact" for businesses, a trader claims.

Osman Aslan, from the Market Cafe & Restaurant in St Neots, Cambridgeshire, said the work on the town's Market Square, which began in January, has been difficult and had caused noise pollution and a loss of customers.

The project was originally expected to be finished in January 2025.

Huntingdonshire District Council, which is one of the bodies funding the scheme, said the work was now due to be completed in April, after issues with cast-iron service main caused some delays.

New paving has been put in place around the Market Square

The revamp is part of a £15m investment in the town, jointly funded by the Cambridge & Peterborough Combined Authority, the district council, the government's Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities, National Highways and Cambridgeshire County Council.

Mr Aslan said: "It's had quite a negative impact - the biggest has been the noise pollution.

"We do feel like trade has decreased a lot.

"Obviously when it's done it will improve St Neots and our community, and we'll be delighted, but this whole construction period has been very difficult for us."

He hoped the square would look better as it was "the heart of the town".

He said there was very little parking close by and delivery drivers had struggled to get to the business.

He added that the moving back of the end date had caused some "uncertainty" as it had made it hard for the business to plan.

An artist's impression of what the upgraded Market Square could look like

The district council said it had allocated a Shop Front Grant Scheme, worth £50,000 to support affected businesses.

Labour councillor Sam Wakeford said the expected completion date had already been pushed back to 31 March.

"The discovery of a cast iron service main caused some delays," he said.

"However, efforts to reschedule and accelerate other work have kept the project largely on track, with completion now expected in April 2025.

"Significant progress has been made, with the north side of the Market Square now open, the High Street/New Street resurfacing complete, and the Huntingdon Street crossroads nearly finished," he added.