MARKET traders in the town have welcomed proposals to revamp the Cornhill following Sir Stuart Rose’s hard-hitting comments to last year’s Beacon Conference.

The Star revealed last week that the borough is working with Ipswich Central, the county council, and UCS to promote a redesign of the Cornhill in a bid to turn it into a focal point for the whole town.

It is inviting architects and urban planners to submit designs for the Cornhill, which will be considered by a panel of experts headed by former Marks and Spencer boss Sir Stuart.

Ipswich Market already takes place on the Cornhill four days a week – and traders have already been consulted over the proposals.

Traders were concerned when when Sir Stuart described the Cornhill as “The most depressing place I have ever seen” during a visit to the town last September.

However after the talks, which were headed by borough chief executive Russell Williams, they have been reassured that no changes will happen without their being consulted.

Lucy Young runs the fish stall with her husband Mike. She said: “We had a really good meeting with the council.

“We feel that they understand the importance of the market and want to work with us to really turn the Cornhill into the heart of the town.

“We recognise that this area does need to be improved and so long as we are involved, there will be no problem for us.”

Her views were backed up by Mitch Lloyd, who runs the nearby bag stall, and Darren Allsop of DA Fashions.

Mr Allsop said: “The people who use the market are very loyal to us and to this town. There are people who come here from quite a wide area and we need to ensure the market is still here. But the administration at the council seems to get that now and we are hopeful that when things are improved we’ll be part of that.”