A decision taken by the town council on Monday night could see the weekend markets return to just one site at the Shire Hall.

Presently, traders operate from two sites, the Shire Hall and Blestium Street car park and the recommendation to merge was made with the aim to free up the car park spaces the lower market are given and to improve the vibrancy of the market that operates on a Friday and Saturday in Agincourt Square.

The market was moved to Blestium Street when the Shire Hall underwent a £4.5 million refurbishment in 2008.

The Grade I listed building was reopened in 2011 but some traders preferred the space that the car park offered for setting up their stalls and packing up at the end of the day, allowing them to park their vehicles alongside their pitches without having to find a bay in Glendower Street car park.

Councillor Jane Lucas explained: “I spend many, many Fridays in despair at how lonely and awful it is to see the part of Blestium Street car park empty and we are lucky if we see two or three market holders”.

She added that Agincourt Square is “not as vibrant as it might be”.

She acknowledges that the decision would not be popular with some traders, but added “it would bring so much more benefit to the high street by allowing more car parking.”

The move is welcomed by the Chamber of Commerce who supported the idea of combining both markets into one site outside the Shire Hall to free up car parking at the lower end of town and improve the offering to locals and visitors “and we hope would improve footfall to those businesses in the vicinity”.

The council heard from two members of the public.

The first said she was very much in favour of bringing traders up to the top of town, “but there are some who don’t want to do it”.

She said there was plenty of room at the square and she thought it would be amazing if it was combined.

Gerry Bright, a former councillor and mayor claimed the markets were presently being mismanaged: “Ten years ago we fought hand and nail to have a market down there as there were so many traders and it was successful, however over the years it’s declined and something has to be done”.

Councillor Hoggins wondered if the combined market would fit in the space at the square and the danger would be “pushing the traders away”.

Councillor Sweeney agreed that the current situation of the markets reflects badly on the town: the number of traders at the bottom end of town doesn’t encourage footfall.

He had spoken to some of the traders knowing this subject was going before town council and said the feedback he had was that some would be reluctant to relocate because of logistical issues.

Councillors voted to start a consultation with Monmouthshire County Council who run the markets about bringing the bottom market up to the top.