Work to revamp Ludlow market is to start in November after four years of planning.

The Mayor of Ludlow Martin Taylor-Smith said new equipment would be installed in Market Square on November 9 and 10.

Already £60,000 has been spent on planning the refurbishment.

Councillor Taylor-Smith said: “We will have to take down the market for the Remembrance Sunday Parade. The new market will be put in place on the Monday and Tuesday. It is on order. The layout is basically the existing layout with wider awnings.”

The project has been in the planning stages since 2005 but suffered a major setback earlier this year when Advantage West Midlands announced it would not be providing £150,000 for the project.

In 2008, the plans were branded a shambles by town councillor Jeffry Wilcox after the council missed a deadline for applying for up to £40,000 of EU funding available for such schemes.

When Councillor Taylor-Smith took over as mayor in May, the market was one of his priorities. The town council has since opted for a much simpler project set to cost £40,000 to £50,000.

Announcing the date for the work at Ludlow Town Council meeting last night, he said: “We’ve got a substantial list of potential stallholders and we see that as way forward, because it’s half our revenue.”