AN ambitious plan to turn Scarborough's Rotunda Museum into an international centre of geology has been awarded a £1.8m grant by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).

Scarborough Borough Council, in conjunction with the newly-formed Museums Trust, headed by Lord Derwent of Hackness Hall, Scarborough, now has 12 months in which to submit the detailed architectural and design plans to HLF as the second stage of the venture.

As part of the first stage approval, a £120,000 development grant has been awarded to the council, said Ian Carstairs, the Yorkshire and Humber regional chairman of HLF.

He said: "We are delighted to support this project because the Rotunda is such an important resource regionally and internationally."

Lord Derwent, chairman of the museums trust, said: "Today's news from HLF sets us on course to achieve our vision of returning the Rotunda to its original role as a celebration of William Smith's pioneering geological work that laid the foundation of modern methods of exploration in the oil and mining industries."

He said the restoration of the Grade Two* listed Rotunda would not only celebrate the work in geology of Scarborough-born Smith - the former coachman to Lord Derwent's ancestors - but will provide a gateway for young visitors studying the Dinosaur Coast between Scarborough and Whitby.