THE long-awaited redevelopment of a Durham city centre car park could be about to start.

Durham City Council's Walkergate car park, on derelict land behind the Millennium City complex, will close from Tuesday.

The city council has been told that developer Amec is ready to begin the multi-million project that will see bars, restaurants, a hotel, apartments and a multi-storey car park built on the site close to the River Wear.

A spokesman for the council said: "The car park will be closed from Tuesday, January 4, and the work will start then.

"From then on, people will have to use the temporary car park on The Sands and the car park on the former Post Office depot site in Providence Row. I understand that the work could take 72 weeks.''

There had been hopes that the Walkergate development would be completed about the same time as Millennium City, which is home to the Gala Theatre and the Clayport Library, and opened three years ago.

But the blueprint has changed and several starting dates have come and gone.

There were plans for a multi-screen cinema, which were dropped because an operator could not be found.

Use of The Sands car park was opposed by a residents group, Save Our Sands, which lodged an objection that prompted a public inquiry into the use of the common land. The inquiry ruled that use of The Sands was limited to two years only.