Leicester mayor Sir Peter Soulsby is not budging over the name of a £4 million public square, despite a campaign to change it.
Jubilee Square is being developed at St Nicholas Circle.
A petition signed by 1,378 people calling for it to be named Peace Square was debated by Leicester City Council members.
Campaign leader Sally Skyrme told councillors she thought the name Peace Square would bring international attention to Leicester and would be appropriate this year – the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War.
She said she had been surprised by the positive reaction to her petition.
She said: "I truly believe if we had asked people in the whole of the city they would have signed it."
She also said she thought it was arrogant the council had made Jubilee Square signs while the name was still being debated.
Sir Peter said he chose Jubilee Square two years ago to honour the Queen, who began her 60th jubilee celebrations in the city.
He said the campaigners had made their argument very powerfully and offered to look for an "alternative and significant space" to be named with a peace theme. He said: "I respect the petition but we had two consultations, in August and October 2012, about Jubilee Square.
"The commitment is made and it would not be appropriate to depart from that commitment.
"There were many comments about car parking and where the buses would go but, to the best of my knowledge, not a single comment about the name."
He also pointed out that the planning application for the project had been passed with the name Jubilee Square.
Some councillors suggested there should be another public consultation on the name given the level of support demonstrated by the petition.
However, Sir Peter said: "Jubilee Square has been in the public domain for a long time and I am not aware of any members of the council raising concerns about it."
He said the petition did not necessarily reflect the views of the wider city.
City councillor Adam Clarke suggested a compromise under which the public square that will replace the 1970s indoor market hall after it is demolished could be called Peace Square.
Sir Peter told the Mercury he would not rule it out.
However, Ms Skyrme, from Thurnby Lodge, said: "An even better idea would be to name this Peace Square and rename somewhere else Jubilee Square. I'm sure the Queen wouldn't be too upset if we changed the name. She has other things named after her."
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