There were more than 8m visits to King's Lynn town centre last year, bucking the trend of falling footfall.

The revelation comes as it emerged a retail summit will be held to give retailers a chance to discuss the Mary Portas report on the future of Britain's high streets, and discuss future developments planned for King's Lynn.

The rise is a slight increase on 2010, with footfall peaking at 200,000 in a single week before Christmas - the first time this amount had been recorded, new figures reveal.

A report to the King's Lynn Town Centre Partnership also says that more than 5,000 people attended last year's Christmas lights switch-on in the Tuesday Market Place - more than double the number attending in 2010.

A retail conference is being held on March 20. Retailers will discuss the recommendations made in the Portas report, which was commissioned by Prime Minister David Cameron.

Ms Portas said town centres should be run like businesses, with communities being given a bigger say.

Her report, published in December, also called for a national market day and more incentives to encourage people to take up retailing.

In Lynn, there are moves to set up a trading/exhibition space opposite Debenhams, in New Conduit Street.

A report to the town centre partnership says the space would be offered to new businesses as a start-up shop.

West Norfolk council leader Nick Daubney and senior council officials will also be present at the meeting in March.