REDDITCH will be getting a share of £410,000 to help revamp the area around the town's rail station.

The cash will be spent on new housing and regeneration around the station, as part of the Rail Quarter development.

The investment was announced by Central Government last week as part of the One Public Estate (OPE) Programme, first launched in 2013.

The programme ensures the better use of public sector land and property, improving services and freeing up space for new homes.

Redditch Borough Council Leader Councillor Matt Dormer said: “Town centres are increasingly becoming more about lifestyle and leisure and less about shopping for things that people tend to get online instead these days.

“We need to reconfigure our town centre to adapt to this massive change and this money is just the start of this process.

"But what excites me most about this money is how we can use it to fully engage the public in where Redditch goes next."

Redditch will be sharing the money with Worcester which is getting new homes near the university.

Councillor Simon Geraghty, Leader of Worcestershire County Council, said: "It's great news that Worcestershire is getting £410,000 through the OPE programme.

"The funding will allow us to unlock key sites in both Redditch and Worcester and get better use out of the land."

The One Public Estate programme is a joint initiative between the Cabinet Office, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Local Government Association.

It now covers 95 per cent of all local authority areas in England.