The cost of Bradford's state-of-the-art John Street Market has risen by almost half a million pounds.

Extra work will be carried out on the major refurbishment which will bring John Street, Rawson and James Street Fish Market under one roof in the John Street premises.

The executive committee will be asked next week to approve a £480,000 increase which will go towards meeting a number of design changes that traders have requested,

They include extra storage and cold-store facilities, imp-rovements to the roof design, and resiting cafs.

Further health and safety improvements will also be carried out.

Executive committee member for the economy Council-lor Andrew Mallinson said: "The work is progressing well and the Council is committed to working closely with the market traders and Bovis Lend Lease, which is managing the project, to deliver modern facilities that everyone can be proud of. The extra investment shows that we are listening and responding to the needs of the traders and doing all we can to ensure that the market is as safe and attractive for shoppers and traders alike as possible."

The refurbishment includes a new roof and floor, improved lighting, new stalls, better heating and cooling systems, new entrances and improved caf areas.

The nine-month contract is mainly being carried out outside trading hours to minimise disruption to businesses.

Richard Mead, chairman of John Street Market Traders Association, welcomed the extra spending.

"I am very pleased the extra money is going to be available to make sure all traders have a fair deal," he said.

"The extra spending will make all the difference."

The refurbishment had created some difficulty for traders but all were staying open as normal," he said.

"At the end of the day everyone will have an excellent state-of-the-art market in the city," he added.