THE owners of buildings on one of Darlington's main streets could be able to bid for more than £500,000 to improve their properties.

English Heritage has earmarked half-a-million pounds over three years to be given to Darlington Borough Council for use exclusively in Northgate.

The money will mainly be used as grants to help property owners carry out building repairs, reinstate original architectural features, improve shop fronts and transform empty space above shops into homes and businesses.

It is hoped that property owners will bid for the money to make improvements they could not normally afford, but which will develop the whole area.

Before the money is finally awarded, the council must submit detailed plans to English Heritage, showing how it will be spent as part of its Northgate Heritage Economic Regeneration Scheme.

The scheme is part of the national Heritage Economic Regeneration initiative, designed to improve historic areas in England that have fallen into disrepair.

The aim is to maintain local employment, provide new homes and encourage investment in run-down areas.

An initial £90,700 has been granted by English Heritage for the first year of the Darlington project, which has to be match-funded by the council.

It is hoped that similar sums will be made available for the second and third years of the project.

The money will be used on the stretch of Northgate about half-a-mile north from Central House, up to the High Northgate railway bridge.

Owners of properties in this area will be able to qualify for up to 60 per cent of the cost of approved work to improve the look of their businesses.

David Lyonette, the council's cabinet member for economic regeneration, said: "This is great news. We now have a lot of work to do to get a detailed report of our plans to English Heritage by January.

"We have done extremely well to get a positive response, as bids for funding in the North-East are well over-subscribed.

"Northgate has immense potential, but the ultimate success of the project will very much depend on the work we can do with the help of property owners on High Northgate and Northgate."