Town centre's £25m plan wins approval

Members of Sedgefield Borough Council's development control committee on Friday approved the long-awaited application for the £25m scheme on the site of the former Avenue Comprehensive School .

Planning director John Litherland, on his last day before leaving for another job, said: "As we've said many times before this is a once in a generation opportunity to actually do something to improve the currently inadequate, outdated and outmoded town centre in Newton Aycliffe."

The plans include a new Tesco store next to shops at the northern end of the scheme, a pedestrianised civic space called The Circus at the heart of the development, shops on two pedestrianised streets leading from The Circus, a town centre car park associated with the Tesco store, a petrol filling station in the car park, a link road from Greenwell Road to Burn Lane with a bus-only route along part of it and new bus stops on the new Greenwell Road opposite the pedestrian route.

There will also be permanent replacements for The Cubby elderly people's drop-in centre, the library and the health centre, a town park and playing pitches and a replacement youth centre in the town park.

Pivotal to the scheme is the integration with the existing town centre and the demolition of buildings at one end.

Subject to ratification, the council is to enter into a development agreement which could involve the compulsory purchase of the premises.

A report to the council said: "It is fundamental to the success of the scheme that the new development is perceived as a logical extension to the existing centre to help bolster its economic fortunes and not as a separate standalone entity."

Councillors enthusiastically backed the scheme, which is estimated could increase turnover by 140 per cent and should take 16 months to complete.

Coun Bob Fleming, who proposed the motion to approve the application, said: "This represents a massive increase for Newton Aycliffe and I'm excited about this proposal."