A FACELIFT for an ageing town centre will leave people surprised at the result, a council official has pledged.

Work begins next year on a £2m regeneration of Chester-le-Street town centre, the first of six towns in County Durham to benefit from a £13m five-year Urban Centre Improvement Scheme.

Regional development body One NorthEast has organised the scheme to boost the economy of the towns, overseen by the County Durham Economic Partnership.

Similar sums will be invested in Bishop Auckland, Durham, Seaham, Spennymoor and Stanley over the five years.

If it proves successful, further funding could be attracted to extend the project to include Peterlee, Newton Aycliffe, Consett and Shildon.

In Chester-le-Street, a designer has been appointed to highlight the town's Roman and industrial heritage.

The Market Place will be redesigned and streamlined, with improvements around the approach to the railway station and the surrounds of the new hospital.

Also included will be the development of a heritage trail.

Tom Watson, the district council's planning services manager, said: "It's a regeneration of not only the town centre but all the surrounding areas as well.

"The market will survive, but with a reduction in the number of stalls.

"There will be the creation of a new civic heart, which I'm sure will come as a surprise to many people."

Mr Watson said Chester-le-Street was once the county capital, prior to the development of Durham.

It has historic roots in the Roman, Viking and early Medieval Christian eras, which will be reflected in the heritage trail, he said.

Mr Watson said that work was due to begin shortly after the Christmas and New Year festivities.