THE regeneration of Stanley town centre has moved a step closer after council bosses came to a decision over the site for a new bus station.

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

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

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

The leader of the council, Councillor 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 no hidden corners 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.

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.

"Listening to people, I do still feel their frustration, because they have been promised things like this for a long time that have not been delivered. I was determined to go to that meeting with some progress. The big acid test now is to keep that progress moving."