CANVEY looks set to get its town centre market back.

Castle Point Council leader Norman Smith is hopeful that, within the next few months, a date will be set for the return of the market, which will open two days a week.

In the 1990s the market in Charfleets Industrial Estate, Canvey, was famed across the county and hugely popular, but closed in the early 2000s.

If plans go ahead the new market would open on one day during the week and Saturday next to the Knightswick Centre and library in the town centre.

Mr Smith, said: “We managed to get the Euro funding last year, so that has been a huge help.

“At the moment we have appointed a town centre officer, and we are looking to see who can run the market.

“We, as a council, want to see this happen and at the moment all the conversations are very positive.

“We have had a few half markets over the years, but we want this to be on a larger scale and regular.

“We are in the early stages but I hope that in a few months we will have a date for the launch.”

The market would be paired with plans for a market in Hadleigh, also forming part of Hadleigh’s regeneration project.

Last year, the council announced it been successful in being awarded grant funding as part of an Interreg bid to develop new town centre markets. Called GoTrade, the project includes a consortium of 16 partners across the UK and France.

The aims of the project are to explore how traditional markets can be used as a catalyst for job creation, skills development and growth.

In the past there have been markets set up at the Knightswick Centre and on the High Street, but residents have stated they failed to gain support from the council and ultimately struggled.

The latest development has seen a town centre project officer appointed to help co-ordinate the delivery of the project, while the hunt is officially on to find potential operators.

Simon Bartrum, 58, of Canvey, said: “I remember the thriving market at Charfleets and it was amazing, people came from a long way off the island to spend time their.

“It would be great to see a market like that once again on the island.

“They have tried a few times, the Knightswick Centre have an inside market, I know there was one outside the centre for a while and also one on the high street.

“But they never really got off the ground.

“It sounds like the council are committed to this, and with the extra fnding hopefully it can be made into a huge success.”

The market plans were discussed at a Castle Point cabinet meeting last night.