Shopkeepers and stallholders in Bradford were today facing a battle over their future amid plans to shut down a city centre market for four months.

Some traders fear plans to temporarily close John Street Market as part of a £3 million refurbishment could sound the death-knell for the market and its surrounding stores.

Despite the offer of compensation by Bradford Council, traders fear the refurbishment plans could drive the shoppers away - with the fear they may never return.

Now the 60 stallholders at the market and 20 more businesses in John Street are set to vote on how the revamp should be carried out. They have also been offered the option of staying on while work goes around them for about nine months.

Stallholders in the nearby temporary Rawson Market also fear their trade could collapse - because shoppers will not be prepared to go out of their way if the neighbouring John Street Market shuts.

Rawson market butcher Donald Pickup said: "It can't be allowed to happen. It's unthinkable. It would be the death knell for the other businesses."

The cost of compensation to the John Street stallholders was estimated today at more than £400,000 - which would have to be taken out of funds set aside for the refit.

The tenants would get a fixed amount based on factors including size of stalls.

But the Council has no legal obligation to compensate the John Street shopkeepers or Rawson market tenants.

Jeff Frankel, proprietor of Sydney's jewellers in John Street, said: "It would be an absolute disaster for John Street Market to close. It must stay open because of the huge repercussions on all the surrounding businesses which need its trade."

And Anthony Ackroyd, treasurer of John Street Market Tenants Association, said: "Opinion here is very mixed. If John Street Market did close a lot of businesses would struggle and Rawson would be totally out on a limb.

"There are a lot of things for people to consider like compensation and what would happen to staff if the market shut for16 weeks.

"The council has also said that if stallholders choose to close it can't guarantee they will go back to the same place in the market."

Bradford Council has now invited traders to vote on the options of:

Shutting for 16 weeks from January to allow all the work to be done at once, with the market tenants getting compensation; or stallholders staying on during the work - with the contract taking about nine months to complete.

The Council has offered votes to John Street market traders; shops around the market hall, the temporary Rawson Market, and James Street fishmongers.

The three markets would combine in a new "super market" when the work is complete.

The Rawson stallholders have already spent more than four years in their temporary hall believing they would be rehoused in a new market two years ago. In the meantime many businesses have closed down.

The fiasco was caused by a collapse in the sale of Vicar Lane car park which would have provided £6 million funding to build a new market on the site of the old Rawson building.

John Street stallholder Gunther Giangregorio, said: "I think it would be better if we closed when the work starts because of the condition of the building. But if they let us stay rent-free we would consider carrying on."

Abdul Patel, of A G Fashion in John Street Market, said he intended to shut. "I don't think we will lose customers. I think they will come back to an exciting new market. I think it will be better to get it done quickly."

The council's executive member for regeneration, Councillor Simon Cooke, said: "It is a quandary. Total closure is a concern for both the stallholders and the shop units and the temporary market.

"There is a big difference in the time scale and all the costs must be looked at."

John Parker, chairman of Rawson Market Tenants Association, said: "Total closure would be a big blow for us. We will be even more isolated than we are."