CONSULTANTS have been hired as part of plans to improve a rundown estate.

Chester-le-Street District Council has appointed specialists Turley Associates and Douglas Wheeler Associates to prepare a plan of improvements for the Poets' Estate, in Pelton Fell.

They will devise a number of cosmetic improvements to complement an investment programme planned for the adjoining Whitehill area.

Construction on phase one of the Whitehill developments starts in autumn and will be completed by 2008.

Most of the Whitehill estate will be demolished and replaced with 260 homes in a £23m scheme involving the district council, developers Bellway, Durham Miners' Association and Nomad Housing. Nearly two thirds of council homes on the estate are empty.

However, 18 homeowners are in negotiations with the council and the consortium about the future of their homes.

So far, the consortium has offered homeowners the chance to own 75 per cent or 50 per cent of a house and rent the rest from the developer.

Alternatively, they can buy a house on the estate once it is on the open market, or swap their home for one of the same value in a different area.

The focus in Poets' Estate will be on improving the public areas, lighting, open space, infrastructure and connections to the rest of Pelton Fell.

The leader of Chester-le-Street District Council, Councillor Linda Ebbatson, said: "This is a particularly important initiative and will make a real difference to the quality of the environment of the Poets' Estate.

"Local residents will be fully engaged with the team through an ongoing consultation process."

Residents are invited to attend a workshop to start the process at Pelton Fell Village Hall on Thursday, May 27, at 7pm, where public opinion will be gauged to ensure the proposals have the support of residents.

Douglas Wheeler, of Douglas Wheeler Associates, said: "We would like to hear from as many people as possible.

"We will be in and around the estate so there will be plenty of opportunity for people to come and talk to us.

"This is really about finding out about what sort of improvements people want to see."