A LANDMARK Chester-le-Street building that has undergone a £1.3m refurbishment will be officially reopened today.

The former Mechanics' Institute, near the crossroads by the town's market, has been handed back to the Chester-le-Street and City of Durham Enterprise Agency, which has been based there since the 1980s.

The building, which dates from 1826 and is now called Mile House (Mechanics Institute Learning Enterprise) offers modern facilities for business and learning.

The scheme is part of the regeneration of the centre of Chester-le-Street, in which the nearby Market Place is undergoing a major facelift.

The refurbishment, which started last May, has included demolishing outbuildings and extensions, and replacing them with a single-storey extension to the main building, to provide extra office space.

The slate roof has been replaced with a raised roof, to give more space.

The building also has meeting rooms that can be booked by local groups.

Tenants include the Durham Business Club, the District Council, Learning Links and community associations.

Chester-le-Street District Council leader Linda Ebbatson said the refurbishment "will benefit everyone in the district''.

She added: "It is particularly fitting to have learning at the heart of this centre, as the Mechanics' Institute was built nearly 200 years ago to fulfil the same purpose."

Susan Matthews, Durham Business Club's work-based learning director, said: "I know the apprentices can't wait to move into Mile House, as it will give them the space and facilities they need.

"It will also give business members, who could also be training providers, the opportunity to see more fully what the other side of the organisation does."