ARCHITECTS gathered on Monday to mark the start of the £1m refurbishment of Darlington Arts Centre.

Funding has been found for the first two phases of the project, which will see the creation of a new 100-seat studio theatre and the conversion of a disused courtyard at the heart of the building into a glass-roofed theatre atrium.

Improvements to the surrounding area in Vane Terrace are also planned.

Lindsay Tuck, head of arts for Darlington Council, said: "We are delighted that the project is becoming a reality. We have been working on concept designs and a fundraising strategy for the last year. It is great to see all the hard work paying off. It is a long-term project and we're tackling it in stages."

As part of the refurbishment, the Arts Centre is displaying a number of conceptual design ideas to gather feedback on from centre users. The centre foyer will host a display over the following month with examples of materials and design ideas, which could be used in the refurbishment.

It is open to anyone to contribute their opinions and ideas on what they would like to see in the redevelopment.

The redevelopment is funded by grants from Arts Council England, the Northern Rock Foundation and the County Durham Environmental Trust and Darlington Borough Council.