Leicester: Work starts on £400k temporary market

An artist's impression of the temporary market being built in Green Dragon Square

Work has started on the creation of a £400,000 temporary market in Leicester city centre.

The city council is to turn Green Dragon Square into a base for stallholders while it carries out a £7.5m refurbishment of the city's historic permanent market.

The square, behind the Corn Exchange building, has been fenced off and cleared of benches to make space.

The temporary market will open on 30 November, the council said.

The square will host traders until December 2024

A large steel canopy will be erected to cover 10 container units and 48 temporary stalls that will temporarily accommodate the traders.

The city's market dates back 700 years with many of its ageing stalls, and its roof, built in the 1970s.

The council said it hoped the transformation of the market would create a shopping destination "fit for the 21st Century".

It said it wanted to complete the wider revamp, which includes a new roof to let in more light and a new café and events space, by December 2024.

The new-look market would have 84 new stalls in a different layout