A MAJOR arts festival could be staged in North Yorkshire's county town for the first time under exciting plans revealed yesterday.

An ambitious bid to bring together some of the area's leading artists, musicians and theatre performers for a spectacular show in Northallerton are being considered by council chiefs.

If it is given the go-ahead, the festival would coincide with the reopening of the town's Hambleton Community Centre.

The popular facility, which was facing the threat of closure last year, is under-going a £400,000 revamp and is set to open again later this year.

Work on the improvement scheme started last week and will eventually see a new roof, floors and tiered theatre-style seating installed.

Leisure chiefs at the district council are hoping that a high-profile arts festival will prove as popular in Northallerton as similar showpiece events staged in Swaledale, Ripon and Harrogate.

Leader of the council, Councillor June Imeson, said: "A festival would be one way of marking the reopening of the centre.

"These improvements are the results of months of planning and consultation with user groups and will sustain the facility into the future."

Members of the council's cabinet are due to discuss the suggestion when they meet in Northallerton next week.

They are being asked to approve the festival, scheduled for September, and guarantee that its £4,500 costs would be covered.

Proposals for the event include dance and theatre performances, classical music concerts and tribute bands, as well as exhibitions of local arts and crafts.

The 28-year-old community centre was at one stage considered too expensive to run and its many user groups feared it would be shut down.

Now though, after the council agreed to invest heavily in reviving it, cabinet members are being asked to think of a new name, in consultation with user groups and local people.

Restoration work is expected to finish at the end of August and the first groups would then be using the centre again on September 2.