THE consultation process over a proposed town square in Northallerton did not include enough businesses in the high street, according to one councillor.

Northallerton Town Council wants to improve the area outside the town hall and make it into a pedestrian zone that will also act as a public events space.

The plans have met with opposition from local businesses because the new square would see the loss of four parking spaces in a busy part of town.

The town council has released the results of a public consultation process that took place in December, which asked people what they wanted from the new space and if they agreed with the proposals.

More than 50 per cent of respondents agreed with the proposals, while 11 per cent said they did not.

Another 21 per cent said the council should do more with the space, while 11 per cent agreed with parts of the proposals.

The report does not say exactly how many people voted, although there were at least 32 responses about what people would like to see in the square.

Councillor Jack Dobson has criticised the consultation, saying that not enough people attended the consultation to make it fully representative.

"The consultation wasn’t done as well as it could have been," he said.

"To consult with businesses just around what would be the town square when the proposals will affect every business in the town is not great.

"A lot of business owners have said they are very concerned about the loss of parking and also the length of construction time involved – it will take over a lot of the street."

Northallerton Mayor Tony Hall has defended the consultation, saying that it was robust.

"I believe that everybody was given the opportunity to take part," he said.

"It was fully advertised and enough people came forward to make it a robust consultation.

"If you ask people to come to a consultation and they choose not to then what can you do?

"We have to move forward and look at some of the interesting ideas that were put forward."