PLANS to rebuild the market and the surrounding area will go ahead after the government gave the council permission to buy all the necessary land.

A government inspector has allowed the council to execute a compulsory purchase order on 4.6 hectares in the town centre which includes parts of Kendray Street, Cheapside, Lambra Road, Burlington Arcade and May Day Green.

Many buildings will be knocked down before the work which will cost about £200 million.

A report by inspector David Nicholson describes the project as: “The centrepiece of an ambitious vision to turn Barnsley into a 21st century market town no longer based on the coal industry.”

The plan includes a cinema, amphitheatre and market stalls.

The report also says “outdated and unloved monolithic buildings” would be replaced.

It says the scheme will capture lost trade and encourage investment.