TIMELINE: Fitzy's 'Save The Northampton Market' campaign vs West Northants Council's £8.4million refurbishment plans

Here is a timeline of Fitzy's row with West Northants Council’s (WNC) over plans to move market traders to a car park in Northampton for two years while £8.4 million refurbishment works take place.

Northampton market traders are set to be temporarily moved down to Commercial Street car park for two years during WNC's £8.4 million project to refurbish Market Square.

Many traders fear they won’t return to the Market Square because the move will kill of their businesses.

In memory of Eamonn ‘Fitzy’ Fitzpatrick, who had been selling fruit and veg on the market for 60 years, let’s take a look back at his his ‘Save The Market’ petition, which aimed to stop the move, and the subsequent battle he had with WNC.

October 4 2021

Fitzy started his 'Save The Market' campaign in October 2021.

Fitzy told the Chronicle & Echo: "Me and my fellow market traders are absolutely devastated.

"We have got to make them see sense, I will do my best to do that - the fight is on."

February 23

West Northamptonshire Council identifies Commercial Street car park, alongside the Carlsberg Roundabout, as their preferred site for the market once an £8.4million revamp of the Market Square gets under way in August.

February 23

Fitzy slams council's decision to relocate Northampton market to 'death row' car park on edge of town centre

Fitzy, 72, said: "It's heartless. Uncaring. I'm absolutely gutted. What they're going to do, after all these years, they're just going to wipe us out. They've got it all wrong. Death row I call it [Commercial Street car park]. I'm choked. They've misread the mood of the town. People don't want to see this market go, but it will do.

"I gave them different sites around the town, they dismissed them saying it'll cost too much money.

"I'm going to start a petition. I'll get 20,000 signatures, I promise you. But I'm going to need some help. I need the people of Northampton behind me, which they are, but I can't do it all myself."

Councillor Lizzy Bowen, council cabinet member in charge of the market plans at the time, said: “We know many of the traders would have preferred to stay on Market Square while the redevelopment takes place, but this would cause significant delays and additional costs."

March 3

Fitzy says he will be getting on his "soapbox" at the market this Friday and Saturday (March 4 and 5) - along with other market traders - urging passers-by to sign his physical petition.

March 8

Fitzy laid down the gauntlet and called on council bosses to come and speak to the people of Northampton at the Market Square.

The invitation was snubbed by both councillors.

In response, councillor Nunn said: "Northampton deserves the very best market square it can have and that, regrettably, requires temporary relocation of the market traders.”

March 30

Fitzy calls on council to 'come to the lion's den' after 9,000 'angry' people sign his petition within the first month of the 'Save The Market' campaign.

Fitzy said: "People are right behind me on this one... they are disgusted with the Conservatives. I am 100 per cent right on this but I can't get it through to the council."

March 31

A new public consultation opened asking what punters would like to see at the new Market Square.

At the same time, this newspaper put Fitzy's petition to the council, asking: will WNC listen to the 9,000 people who have signed Fitzy's petition? If not, why not? WNC did not directly respond to the question.

April 1

Fitzy hit out at the council after it failed to reply to his 9,000-signature 'Save The Market' petition.

He said: "That's up to them isn't it, there's nothing I can do about that. They will pay for it one way or the other.

"It doesn't surprise me. What can I do? I'll keep trying. I'll try and get 15,000, I'll get as many as I can.

"Two years in Commercial Street, there's no coming back from that, then there won't be anything left in the town centre. What WNC is doing is barmy.

"They should put a statue of me up in the Market Square pointing towards the Town Hall saying, 'I told you so'. I've got a cartoon of that, actually."

April 13

Labour warns Conservative council leaders must answer traders' questions over two-year Northampton Market move

Councillor Emma Roberts said: "I have heard from traders on the market that they feel they haven’t been listened to regarding the move to Commercial Street.

"The Cabinet cannot just ignore the thousands of people who have petitioned for the council to re-think their plans to move the market.

"Far too often our residents feel that politics is being done to them and not with them.”

Councillor Lizzy Bowen responded, saying: “We know many of the traders would have preferred to stay on Market Square while the redevelopment takes place, but this would cause significant delays and additional costs."

May 3

After more than two years of planning and consultations, WNC submits proposals to its own planning committee to refurbish Market Square.

May 6

Fitzy criticises WNC over comments in planning papers which called current market stalls 'low quality'.

The plans say the new market will be condensed to just 18 permanent stalls instead of more than 100 “low quality” stalls.

Fitzy said: "I have got eight stalls here now, if I come back from Commercial Street they are going to give me three stalls. They're cutting my business in half. They're kicking me in the teeth again.

"WNC don't realise what they are doing. They think this is Rome, New York. They're saying about the shops being turned into coffee bars and all that, what a load of codswallop."

May 18

Fitzy criticises the 'out of touch' council which offered a two years rent free 'handout' at temporary car park site.

Fitzy said: "Even if it's no rent it still won't make it pay, no way whatsoever. They know nothing about the game.

"WNC seem to be tone deaf. Out of touch. Condescending. We don't want handouts from the council. We work hard to pay our way."

The council responds saying the market costs taxpayers £180,000 a year to run, rather than making a profit as it has done in the past.

Fitzy said: "They want to look at their costs, they are the ones running it, not me. If I was running the market it wouldn't show a loss. They're running it down purposefully."

The 'Save The Market' petition is now on on 10,000 signatures.

June 21

Fitzy calls for meeting with WNC leader Jonathan Nunn so he can hand over his 10,000-strong petition to 'Save The Market'.

Fitzy said: "It's a victory for local democracy in a way and I'm very grateful for the backing of the people of Northampton."

WNC did not respond to this newspaper's request for comment regarding meeting with Fitzy.

June 24

The works to refurbish the Market Square are pushed back from August 2022 to 'winter time' by WNC.

Councillor Daniel Lister, the man now in charged of the project, said: "The move [to Commercial Street] is necessary...it [is] impractical to keep the market on the square during the redevelopment, plus it would add more than £802k to the project cost and delay completion."

Fitzy was calling for clarity on the dates for moving so he and his staff were able to plan for the coming months.

When this newspaper went to WNC asking when traders had to move no direct response was given.

October 12

Tory councillor Daniel Lister rebuffs Fitzy's efforts to submit his 16,000-signature petition at a full council meeting in front of many people at The Guildhall.

Councillor Lister said: “There are 209,000 other residents in the town who have not signed it and don't agree”.

Fitzy responded, saying: "I would like to ask councillor Lister how many of his 209,000 residents he has spoken to and whether they agreed to moving the market or not. I suspect he has not spoken to many."

Councillor Lister said he does not “want to see the market killed off” and will do “everything in his power to stop it from happening”.

November 1

WNC approves its own plans to revamp Northampton market.

Fitzy said before the meeting: "Basically, WNC is ignoring the people of Northampton. It is ignoring the wishes of the people of Northampton. It's not right. I've done my best."

November 4

Fitzy dies suddenly overnight in the days after he spoke at the planning committee meeting.

Fitzy’s children – Kelly and Joe – released a statement on social media. It said: “It is with heavy hearts that we are announcing the heartbreaking news of our Dad’s passing. Dad became unwell on Wednesday night and his death was very peaceful, with his family by his side. There are few words right now to express the pain but know he was loved by many. Shine bright Dad, our hearts will be forever holding onto a place that will never be filled.”

December 7

Hundreds of people gather in Northampton town centre to pay a final farewell to Fitzy.

The funeral took place on a beautiful sunny morning at the market stall where he had been selling fruit and veg from for 60 years.

Fitzy's son, Joe, gave a 10-minute speech in which he paid tribute to his late dad.

Joe said: "Your favourite market trader, a pound a bowl master, the petition king, now a Northampton Market legend.

"We had to bring him back here for one final time.

"My dad used this microphone for a 'Save The Market' campaign, which run for six months through the summer. He got more than 15,000 signatures. These signatures were presented to the council. The council's reply was, 'you've got 16,000 signatures but there's another 100,000-plus people in the town who did not sign the petition.

"Still to this day there is not a date for us to move down to that car park.

"A market place without people isn't a market.

"I think there is no leadership at The Guildhall at the minute. Let there be a grey cloud over The Guildhall today."