AMBITIOUS plans to completely transform the centre of Redditch are set to be discussed by council chiefs.

The Advertiser first reported on the radical plans, which originally included demolishing the town hall and library to make the town more "vibrant", last year.

Now the multi-million pound plans to regenerate the town centre will be discussed by Executive Members next week.

The plans focus on four 'regeneration quarters': station and residential, education and enterprise, retail and leisure, and public sector and cultural.

The church and the ‘old town’ would anchor the four quarters and link the areas together creating open spaces and clear routes.

The hope is to get more people walking through the town and give people somewhere more attractive to meet.

This will form the basis on which an investment plan will be produced to hopefully enable the authority to get up to £25m, as part of the Town Deals funding.

The aim of the funding is to level up all regions by boosting productivity, skills and living standards.

However, the council will have to wait until next year to find out how much it actually gets.

As part of the process the government has made £173,000 available to the council to help it support its ambitious ideas.

Redditch Council leader Matt Dormer admitted the plans were his "hopes and dreams".

"These are ambitious plans designed to unlock Redditch’s potential and strengthen its appeal to people as a destination to work, live and enjoy themselves in,” he said.

"These are long terms plans - it wont happen overnight. But you have to have goals."

He stressed that the plans were not just for the town centre, but other district areas as well such as Winyates and Matchborough.

Cllr David Thain, whose portfolio covers corporate management and finance, said the council is keen to keep the character of the town, but make it more of a metropolis.

“This is a multi-million pound investment in Redditch and it is imperative we get this right now for our future generations," he said.

Council chiefs are set to meet to discuss the plans on Monday, November 11.