Announcing the revised scheme on Monday, mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said: “Our design team has now come up with a scheme that would allow the market to return to the traders’ favoured site, while keeping the market place as a flexible space for public events – as it was for hundreds of years.
“We’re now inviting the market traders and people in Leicester to comment on this new proposal.
“Their feedback will help inform the final decision, paving the way for a scheme that I hope will bring new life to Leicester’s market place and help regenerate the wider area.”
He addressed some of the traders’ concerns, adding the new space will be “enough to meet the needs of the fruit and veg traders”.
“What is undoubtedly going to need to have some considerable further discussion is how the so-called dry goods, the other traders, how they’re accommodated in the future.
“And I do intend that we should talk to them and see to what extent they can be accommodated within this scheme or indeed be accommodated in some of the vacant units around and about the market.”
If given the go-ahead, the new event space could be repaved and completed by early next year, with the new market building opening by spring/summer 2027.
A public consultation will run until 9 December.