Traders fear impact of £12.6m market upgrade

Traders fear £12.6m plans to upgrade an area around a market will result in it shrinking.

Cambridge City Council has proposed installing a canopy over part of the market, providing 27 permanent stalls, as well as resurfacing works and improvements to buildings.

Some market traders voiced concerns there would be a "massive shortfall of space".

However the council said the overall size of the market would not be reduced.

Plans include a further 64 "demountable" stalls for weekends and busier months, the authority said.

Other proposed changes include improving the Guildhall and the Corn Exchange, as well as using the space for events when the market is not on.

The council said it did not have funding for all of the work and had proposed investing £3m to resurface the market initially.

Speaking at a strategy and resources scrutiny committee, trader Glenys Self said only having 27 permanent stalls was a "huge issue" which traders believed would cause a "shrinkage of the market".

Fellow trader Julia Cox added there would be a "massive shortfall in terms of space".

Simon Smith, executive councillor for finance and resources, stressed the market would not be reduced in size under the plans, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Plans for the area will be presented at a full council meeting on Thursday.

Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.