THE outdoor market is set to return to Redditch town centre after a five-year absence.

Councillors on Redditch Borough Council voted to bring a regular outdoor market back to the town earlier this week.

It was part of the Redditch Labour group's manifesto promise to bring the market back, as well as putting a stop to the demolition of the town's library. 

Proposals to make 20 new "high quality" stalls available at a market running three days a week, plus extra specialist markets, were approved at the meeting of Redditch Borough Council on July 29.

Leader of Redditch Borough Council, councillor Joe Baker, said: “Part of our election manifesto was the implementation of an outdoor market, so I’m delighted that along with the library, we have quickly put forward another of our pledges.

"We want to re-invigorate the area running down from the church past the library with regular, vibrant, good quality markets.”

Councillor Baker added: "We have listened to what the people of Redditch have wanted, and the overwhelming majority have wanted a town with an outdoor market.

"One thing that is really important is that the market stalls are going to be high quality stalls".

Councillor Baker said he hopes the market is up and running before Christmas.

Plans will now be drawn up to implement the town centre market, for which councillors agreed a £33,000 staff budget and a £50,000 capital expenditure for the new stalls.

However, councillor Matt Dormer, the leader of the Conservatives on Redditch Borough Council, criticised Labour's plans.

He said: "Labour are planning on taking us back to the 1980s with the introduction of a four day per week outdoor market showing a clear lack of vision or future for our town centre.

"Labour's refusal to recognise that people's shopping habits have changed show how out of touch they are with modern times".