A partnership of traders, business people, residents and councillors have agreed to work together to regenerate Frome's market.

An ongoing consultation on the future of the market will begin next week with district councillors allowing a three month period to look at all the options available to make the market as successful as possible.

The decision to spend time looking at all proposals followed an initial outcry when the Somerset Standard reported two weeks ago that Mendip District Council had proposed a radical new market scheme for Frome.

The proposal was for a three-month trial which would see the market moved to the town centre on a Saturday – with more stalls being put in place and road closures implemented if necessary.

Residents, market traders, councillors and business people in the town were concerned that the road closures had been applied for without consultation with interested parties in the town.

Now all options are back on the table – and the new partnership say they are keen to get as much local feedback as possible.

Leading the project, councillor Philip Ham, the portfolio holder for governance, assets and public spaces, said he wanted to make it clear that all plans were still open for discussion and that nothing was set in stone - including possible road closures and the re-location of the market.

He said he would urge partnership members to thoroughly support the recommendations in the report to move the project forward.

Speakers at the cabinet meeting included Neil Howlett, president of Frome and District Chamber of Commerce, who said he welcomed the consultation; resident Jane Wood, who asked for the market to be kept in the Market Yard car park; and stall holder Daniel Price, who urged the members to listen to the traders and plan and spend any budget wisely.

Community nurses based at Park Road Surgery had also expressed concerns about the proposed road closure, about the traffic congestion and being able to get to patients on time.

A steering group had been working since October 2011 on the project and several new members had been added, including Mr Price.

The group met with officers and councillors previous to the cabinet meeting to address the concerns, which had led to the partnership approach.

A spokesperson for Mendip said: "We were very encouraged by the positive discussion which took place at cabinet on Monday with regards to Frome Market, there was a lot of enthusiasm from all involved. The council has always been keen for this to be a partnership project with an open approach."