An authority is not "out to destroy" a market which is due to be transformed as part of a £12.6m Civic Quarter project, a councillor said.
Changes to the market have been proposed by the council under its Civic Quarter project, which also included plans to improve the Guildhall and the Corn Exchange. The plans included resurfacing Market Square to improve accessibility, replacing stalls with 27 new permanent stalls under a lightweight canopy and building 64 demountable stalls for "additional trading" on weekends and busier months.
Smith said the project was still in the early stages and the authority would discuss designs and proposals with traders and the public.