by Pete Lammas

BROMSGROVE people will be asked to come up with ideas to revitalise the town centre and boost its trading economy to lure shoppers away from big retail centres such as the new Birmingham Bullring.

Independent consultants are to be appointed to undertake a comprehensive Town Centre Study.

It will cover an area including Bromsgrove Rovers' Victoria Ground in the north to Worcester Road shopping area in the south and will be the first such survey for several years.

It is hoped it will pinpoint ways of combating stiff competition from neighbouring, rival shopping centres.

Malcolm Griffiths, Bromsgrove District Council's director of planning, said: "We are looking at a plan for the next ten years, taking into account what the town already has and its potential for expansion and improvement.

"We would like a better mix of shops and a better choice of shopping for Bromsgrove to compete favourably with local areas, to encourage visitors into town and local people to shop on their own doorstep.

"The core of the town centre is a Conservation Area and we want to preserve its heritage as a traditional market town. We want to move it into the future without spoiling the past and we want local people to tell us what they would like us to do. No decisions will be made until all suggestions have been considered," he added.

All aspects of the town centre areas, as outlined in the Local Plan, will be considered including landscaping and public spaces, for the major improvement package. One idea to be considered is the creation of a "focal point" town square.

The council has agreed to spend £35,000 - part of a government grant - on the study which is expected to be published early in the New Year.

Mr Griffiths added: "We are totally committed to getting it right. The money is seed-corn to ensure best investment for the future of our town centre to protect it against growing local competition."

The council's deputy leader councillor Margaret Taylor (Con-Linthurst) is enthusiastic. She said: "We are anxious to obtain a wide range of views from local people on how this can be achieved to give them the town they want."

She added the new arts centre and planned refurbishment of the Dolphin Centre will encourage more visitors to the town.

Anita Mears chairman of traders' group BroMark welcoming the initiative said she hoped her members would meet the consultanstearly on in order to have an input into what questions are asked.