Market revamp requires further £100k, council told

A planned revamp of a town's market requires a further £100,000 for repair work, council documents have revealed.

Clitheroe Market was earmarked for modernisation and various improvements by Ribble Valley Council with an original budget of £150,000.

However, costs have now risen to £250,000, due to extra funding being needed to fix damaged areas of the market's bullring area.

The extra money is expected to come from the town's UK Shared Prosperity Fund grant of £1.96m.

In a report to councillors, the council’s economic development director Nicola Hopkins said the bullring area's sand base was not designed for modern usage, as it made the paving slabs "more susceptible to damage when overran by vehicles".

She said the plan was to replace the flagstones with resin-bound paving.

She added that one of the casual stalls would also be relocated to the edge of the bullring "to form more of a circular format".

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said the original budget for the project, which will also see the creation of new stalls and steam cleaning of areas of the market, was approved in April

Councillors are expected to approve a request to put the funding plans before the policy and finance committee meeting on 18 June.