THE Arts Council is paying for three council officials to jet to Australia this weekend on a fact-finding mission.

It follows an announcement that Darlington Arts Centre is to be transformed into a flagship venue.

It is to receive £642,000 in grants to help establish itself as a national centre for young people's theatre.

The three officials, from Darlington Borough Council, will stay in Queensland during their ten-day trip to learn how to integrate arts and services for young people.

Councillor Bill Dixon, the council's deputy leader, will be accompanied by two officers from the council's arts department.

A spokesman for the borough council said: "Australia is one of the leading countries in the world for arts and youth theatre.

"The trip will look at examples of best practice and what we can learn about integrating arts and services for young people.

"It has been funded by the Arts Council, and so won't cost the Darlington tax payers a penny."

The Arts Council receives its funding from central Government and the Lottery.

The expedition also examine leisure and ways of keeping youngsters off the streets.

Coun Dixon said: "We've got to look at what we can do to stop them hanging around - we don't want them growing up into a generation that just plays bingo."

The Arts Council has also provided a total of £392,000 for the redevelopment of the Arts Centre.

It will also provide technical and stage advice, audience development work and training and development advice.

Under the plans for the centre, the existing dance studio will be refurbished to create a 100-seat studio theatre, with backstage facilities also being improved.

The Northern Rock Foundation is also providing £250,000 towards the refurbishment, which will include converting a redundant courtyard to create a glass-roofed theatre atrium as a focal point.

Steve Thompson, the borough council's assistant director of leisure and arts, said: "The new space will be multi-purpose and most visitors will use this area, which will also be the entrance to the existing theatre, the Myles Meehan gallery, the new studio theatre and the Jazz Garden Bar.

Other parts of the scheme include commissioning an artist to transform the approach to the centre, increasing gallery space and caf and bar capacity.

No one at the Arts Council was available for comment last night.