PLANS for a new library costing tens of thousands of pounds have been unveiled.

Durham County Council wants to build a new library at the old Stanley Board School, now a social security office, on Stanley Front Street. The current library, off the town's ring road on High Street, is considered to be too far out of the town centre.

The county council revealed its plans to the Stanley Action Group at a meeting this week. A feasibility study is being prepared, which will be put before the county council's cabinet committee in the autumn. If, as expected, the cabinet agrees to the scheme, it is hoped the new library will be completed within two years.

A statement from the county council said: "The council has supported this in principle for the past four years. We agree that the current library is in an unsuitable position and the council has long favoured the town centre.

"The availability of the site on Front Street has presented the possibility of doing just that. We are still investigating costings. It is important to note that the final decision is still to be made.

"It is a project the authority is keen to move forward but until all options, such as costings, have been studied it would be premature to say it will certainly go ahead."

Chairman of the Stanley Action Group, Maureen Storey, welcomed the plans. She said: "We ascertained that this was likely to go ahead, which is very positive. One thing which came up in our meeting was we were asked if we wanted to keep the front facade of the building, which we would.

"The other thing, which we thought was good, was the fact that people would be able to walk into the social security office without feeling any stigma because they could just as easily be going to the library."

Derwentside District Council is expecting to hear if the National Lottery agent Sport England will grant a £3.5m bid to build a new swimming pool in the town in the coming weeks