City of Wolverhampton Council is holding a community event on Monday, July 3 to consult on exciting design proposals for the redevelopment of Bilston outdoor market.

Local residents can view the latest designs and talk to the project team at the outdoor market, near the bus station and tram stop (WV14 0DN), between 10am and 3pm, or at Bilston Town Hall, Church Street (WV14 0AP), between 5pm and 7pm, the same day.

It is an opportunity to feed into the plans and help shape the final design for this important community asset ahead of the formal submission of a planning application later this year.

Funding of £5.2million from the Towns Fund will support the market redevelopment, which is also part of the transformative Bilston Health & Regeneration Programme (HaRP).

The new-look market will be connected to extensive public space improvements and Bilston’s public transport hub.

Councillor Craig Collingswood, City of Wolverhampton Council Cabinet Member for City Environment and Climate Change, said: “The proposals include a new, taller canopy to cover the stalls in the outdoor market which has been designed to maximise natural light whilst at the same time protecting traders and the public from inclement weather and glare from the sun. The nature of the canopy also allows for new signage and advertises the market to a much wider area. New public toilets, additional retail units and the provision of a flexible space where we can host events are also to be provided.

"Markets are a destination and people don't just want to come and shop, they also want to enjoy the atmosphere and sit down for a cup of tea.

“We want people to come and enjoy themselves and I would urge residents to really get involved in the design process and have their say by getting along to the community event on July 3.

“It is important for our traditional local centres to flourish, and this scheme builds substantially on the investment already made in Bilston in recent years.”

Image caption: A computer generated image of what the approach to the new outdoor market canopy could look like heading from the bus station (Image credit: Greig & Stephenson Architects)