SOUTHAMPTON is to get a new weekly market in the historic heart of the city.

Shoppers will be able to buy high quality goods at the Bargate in the city centre from tomorrow.

City centre managers clinched the deal to stage the market with council licensing bosses yesterday.

About 50 traders will be setting up their stalls for the new market. They will be conducting a "dry run" in the city centre tomorrow before the market is launched officially a week later.

Traders will be selling a range of produce that until now has not been available in city centre shops.

Among the foods on sale will be high-quality fruit and vegetables, a local butcher, a bakery and a cake stall.

There will also be continental foods on sale including Polish organic produce, Mediterranean olives, European cheeses, old-fashioned sweets and a large selection of sausages from the New Forest.

City centre managers were given the final go-ahead to stage the market following months of high-level negotiations between themselves and city centre shops. Bosses hope that the new market will add to the already established farmers' market and will boost tourism to the city - given an injection by the re-opening of the city's Walk the Walls experience and the forthcoming opening of the Bargate as a contemporary art gallery.

City centre manager Ian Rothwell said: "We will be staging the market tomorrow to see how it goes and the market itself will be officially launched by the mayor next Friday.

"We have tried to bring some interesting and exciting stalls to the market selling things that are not usually available in city centre shops.

"We want to add to what's on offer and not take away trade from what is on sale in the shops. It is a good prime pitch for a market and we have been in the fortunate position of being able to pick and choose which stalls we want in the market."

He added: "It will not compete with the farmers' market as that happens every two months but there may well be some of the farmers who will want to set up their stalls in the city centre market."

Last year, the city's only regular market at Kingsland was threatened with closure but managed to win a last-minute reprieve when traders banded together to save it.

However, Mr Rothwell added that the new market would not be competing with Kingsland either.

He said: "Kingsland is very much a local community market which does very worthwhile work but this market will be a high quality affair with exciting and interesting stalls in the city centre."

City council leader Councillor Adrian Vinson said: "This project is in line with the programme of regular events which will add to the city centre's liveliness."