A DERELICT greyhound stadium which has blighted Spennymoor for years finally looks likely to be redeveloped.

The racing track fell into disrepair after a blaze in January 1998.

It remained in a dilapidated state until May this year, when Sedgefield Borough Council decided to take matters into its own hands and clean up the site.

The following month, bulldozers moved on to the privately-owned land and removed the rubble and broken fencing.

The site has now been sold to an unnamed buyer.

Planning officials at Sedgefield Borough Council hope the conversion will tie in with work on other areas in the town, after completion of a development study.

Sedgefield Borough Council planning manager Steve Barker said: "It has been a bit of an eyesore for a number of years.

"We are expecting discussions with the new owner in the not-too-distant future.

"No planning applications have come through yet, but we expect it will be a leisure use.

"At the same time as that, the borough council has consultants looking at the gas works and other land in that area, to look at what the developers might be prepared to build."

Mr Barker said the former gas works, near the Spennymoor bypass, have been cleared of contamination and it was anticipated that the owner, Transco, might sell the land for development.

Leader of Spennymoor Town Council, Councillor Bill Waters, said building a leisure facility on the former gas works site would be an ideal opportunity to bring more people into the town.

Work has already begun on improving the town centre, with more shops moving into the shopping precinct and grants being made available to improve shopfronts.

A four-week Christmas fair is also being arranged to attract shoppers.

Coun Waters said: "I would like to see a multiplex cinema on the gas works. It is an excellent site, practically in the town centre. You can't make the developers come, but we will certainly be pushing Spennymoor hard enough."