MORE than 200 residents hailed a scheme to regenerate part of Teesside as "the best news for years."

At a meeting on Tuesday night, the residents turned up at Eston Institute, near Middlesbrough, to hear details of plans for a £2.4m investment by shopping chain Aldi for a new store in the town's Square.

Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council leader Councillor David Walsh, who chaired the meeting, said: "The response was very positive indeed.

"Local people are happy that a new store is coming to Eston.

"It's the best news for many years for Eston and will act as an anchor for both retaining and attracting more business.

"Local shops will benefit from the increased number using Eston as their local retailing centre of excellence."

Details of the new store, which will involve the demolition of part of the existing shopping centre, were given to the audience by Aldi's regional property director Simon Plumb and the company's consultant architect Joe Gellart, a partner in the Waring and Netts Partnership.

Coun Walsh said: "I'm glad this scheme will mean the sweeping away of some of the failed architecture of the 1960s, and will bring a new sense of purpose to a shopping centre that has seen hard times.

"The new Aldi store, together with the improvements to the rest of the precinct, and the traffic improvements that will accompany it, will serve to bring about an urban renaissance for this part of our borough."