Plans for a Sunday market in Coventry have been switched to the Precinct, but market traders say they will still fight the move.

The City Centre Company originally hoped to run a market in Bond Street following a successful experiment before Christmas.

But elderly residents living in Bond’s Hospital objected because the traders had made a lot of noise during the night while setting up their stalls.

New plans to run the market in the Precinct, Market Way, Smithford Way, Shelton Square, Bull Yard and Hertford Street have been submitted to the city council.

Martin Stockdale, Commercial Manager of the City Centre Company said the aim was to attract more people into the city centre on a Sunday, particularly as more shops are opening.

He said that the city council could veto the plans if it chooses to protect the Retail Market, which has a charter to operate in the city.

But Mr Stockdale said the Sunday market and the Retail Market could both attract shoppers away from out-of-town shopping centre and back into the city.

He said:

“We understand that they have objections and we want to have further discussions with the traders in the Retail Market.

“We are very keen to support the Retail Market and want to find new ways of boosting its trade.”

Dave Betts, secretary of the Coventry branch of the Retail Market Traders’ Federation, said the traders would be opposing the plans.

He said:

“We are going to be struggling. This will damage our trade because there is only a certain percentage of people who will come to the market anyway.

“The developments in the Lower Precinct mean a lot of the market will be a building site and it’s not as if trade is buoyant anyway.

“A lot of our traders work on their own and start at 5am – they can’t work Sundays as well.”