THE regeneration of Stanley town centre has moved a step forward after council bosses settled on a new site for the bus station.

Derwentside District Council has decided to build the station next door to the existing complex in Mary Street.

The current station, long considered an eyesore in the town, will be flattened and the land will be sold to a property developer for shops.

The move follows a vote by residents overwhelmingly in favour of the scheme.

Council leader Alex Watson said: "We will continue to push to regenerate Stanley as an area that will be attractive to the many visitors from across the North-East and attractive for local residents."

The council aims to use cash from the sale of the existing site to fund the new build.

Detailed plans have yet to be drawn up, but proposals so far will see a much smaller bus station. It will probably be made of glass, to make it light and airy, with hidden corners designed out to make it less attractive to criminals.

The project was unveiled at a meeting of the Stanley Town Centre Regeneration Group in the town's Lamplight Theatre, formerly the civic hall.

Other schemes mooted included a £5m Durham County Council project to spruce up the library and the social services building, both in Front Street, plus a scheme to regenerate View Lane Park.

Kevan Jones, MP for North Durham and member of the Stanley Town Centre Regeneration panel, welcomed the moves, and added: "The big acid test now is to keep that progress moving."