BUSINESSES in Wrexham are calling for members of the public to air their views on expanding Monday’s outdoor market across the town.

Alex Jones, chairman of the Wrexham Chamber of Tourism and Trade, is planning to submit the idea to Wrexham Council but before he does wants to know what shoppers think and what they would like to see.

“There are 47 market stalls on a waiting list,” he said, “so we are aiming to get another market – we want to link parts of the town.”

With the outdoor market confined to Queen’s Square, he said, people visit that location and then leave.

With another market in another location, and outdoor stalls around the town, it would encourage people to spend more time walking around, particularly along High Street.

He added: “Now T.J. Hughes has closed is that what’s going to put a nail in the coffin of the people’s (indoor) market? I’m trying to get life back into the town. We need to do something to generate foot flow around the town.Town centre footfall is down by nine per cent in Wales compared to only one per cent in England,” he said.

His hope is that a market route could be created linking Queen Street to Eagles Meadow via the High Street.

Marlene Roberts of F. Jones fish and chip shop agreed: “If the Monday market was extended down Hope Street and onto High Street there would be a greater number of pedestrians making use of the whole town.

“I really believe the benefits to the whole town outweigh the problems and it would be a terrific success.”

Mr Jones said there was now a Wrexham Chamber of Trade and Tourism facebook page and was encouraging Wrexham shoppers, residents, and businesses to discuss the idea and leave feedback via the site.

“We want to know what people would like to see on High Street – do they want their buses back, do they want more or less street furniture?

“We want to pursue this. But it’s not just about High Street, we want to extend the market out to the community and we’re looking for consultation before presenting a proposal to the council.”