PLANS are under way to transform a community into a vibrant urban village and cultural hotbed.

The Lower Ouseburn Valley, between Jesmond Dene and the Tyne River bend, in Newcastle, is already home to artists, businesses and residents.

Plans to revitalise the area and create a thriving, river-side community have been highlighted in the revised Regeneration Strategy for the Lower Ouseburn Valley by Newcastle City Council.

Plans for the valley include a further 1,000 homes over the next seven years and more business space to create a centre for information technology, media, creative and cultural industries.

The area's wealth of heritage will be preserved and one of the main issues that the strategy addresses is how to take forward the opportunities for business and housing without destroying the character of the area.

Every element that makes up a community - from housing, employment and infrastructure to arts and culture - is set out in the document.

Peter McIntyre, regeneration co-ordinator for the Lower Ouseburn Valley, said the area's future strength as a living and working community would lie in its variety.

He said: "We want to create a riverside community that is very diverse and vibrant.

"The mix is all important, we don't want a monoculture of residential development, we want as wide a range of opportunities as we possibly can.

"The Ouseburn Valley will be somewhere people can work, rest and play, with high-class housing, visitor attractions, bars, restaurants, the Centre for the Children's Book and the eco-centre to name just a few projects."

A mix of house buyers is expected to flock to the valley as the present handful of residential properties increases.

The plans are also attracting interest from a large number of businesses in the media and IT sectors who want to locate to the valley.