THE man behind Colchester’s market says it is “undoubtedly” in the wrong place.

Mike Lilley also plans to hold a public meeting to find out where residents believe it should be located.

The weekly Charter market returned to High Street two years ago after spending a number of years in Culver Street West.

At the time, concerns were raised over pollution and public safety.

POLL: Is Colchester Market in the right place?

Critics also cited large buses passing by stalls with less than a metre to spare and the disruption caused by the set-up and take-down of the stalls on Fridays and Saturdays.

Now Mr Lilley (Lab), whose council portfolio takes in the market, has pledged to listen to the public’s views ahead of a move.

He said: “For me, it is in the wrong place and there is no doubt about that.

“People are buying their fresh fruit and veg in the face of diesel and fumes being pumped out by cars and buses.

“It’s not right and it’s not healthy.

“I would move it tomorrow if I could but there is so much to be done - where do you move it to?

IN PICTURES: The changing face of Colchester Market

“People will have their own ideas and I would like to hear from them but my own opinion would be St Nicholas Square.

“With the work and regeneration going on on that side of the town, for me it would be ideal.”

Mr Lilley said the former graveyard, behind the Entertainer toy store, could be preserved, with some stones being mounted on the building wall and the market stalls could take up the space in the middle of Three Wise Monkeys, a new leisure-led development in Long Wyre Street and Primark.

The councillor also suggested land around Firstsite as a possible location.

He added: “Town centres are changing and we must change with them.

“The only way the market would be in the right space is if High Street was pedestrianised and that’s something we are in the process of thinking about.

“But what I don’t want to do is make people think: ‘The council is just imposing something on us,’ so I would really like to hear from people.

“I would like to hold a public meeting on the future of the town centre.

“You would have people who are pro-pedestrianisation, people who are against it and people will have their own ideas and if they are good ideas I would have no problem looking into them.

“This is everybody’s town centre and it will be here long after all us councillors are gone.”

In an online Gazette reader poll, 40 per cent of people backed a return of the market to Culver Street West while 34 per cent backed a move to other locations.

Some 26 per cent said it was in the right place in High Street.

At the time of writing, 700 individual votes had been cast.