Consultants have been brought in to produce a study for the potential redevelopment of a shopping centre.

Braintree Council has engaged consultants to advise the council how the Newlands Shopping Centre in Witham could be improved.

The council is currently looking at regenerating the town centres in the three towns in the district.

At a meeting of Witham's environment committee last week Michael Lager, town and district councillor, said the Newlands precinct is a "blot on the Witham landscape."

Paul Munson, head of sustainable development at Braintree Council, said the district council was focusing on the Newlands precinct to help improve Witham's town centre but the district council would also be open to suggestions to improve other parts of the town centre.

He said: "From a district council point of view it's more appropriate for us to look at this site where we've some influence and control and with the Newlands precinct we own the car park to the rear so we are in a good position to influence that."

Dave Arnott, chairman of Witham's Chamber of Trade, said the town centre needs a mixture of shops.

"I think it's finding the right kind of shops that people want to do their shopping in whether it's clothing stores or well known branded shops so people come and do their shopping in the town," he said.

Paul Ryland who has been chairman of the town centre strategy group for 15 years said the town centre needs more car parking, a vast majority of Newland Street could do with being pedestrianised with street activities and a big market square.