A PUBLIC inquiry was held yesterday into a council's decision to force businesses from their properties as part of an ambitious plan to regenerate a north Durham town centre.

Derwentside District Council intends to spend £500,000 demolishing the buildings on Front Street, in Stanley, to create easier access to the bus station that is being built.

The aim is to create a plush walkway as part of a £16m regeneration package to enhance the town.

The council has issued compulsory purchase orders to six businesses, including one used by The Northern Echo, telling them to find new premises.

Three official objections have been received and the public inquiry was held at The Louisa Centre, in Stanley.

Estate agent Stephen Bennett, owner of NS Bennett, lodged an objection and spoke at the inquiry.

He said: "The creation of a wide highly-visible exit route from the Front Street to the new bus interchange will not encourage shoppers to remain, but merely encourage them to leave earlier than they might otherwise have done.

"Successful modern shopping parades, such Eldon Square and the Metrocentre on Tyneside, are generally constructed with attractive, external, wide funnelling entrances, to channel shoppers into the mall.

"Once inside, the exits are small and unclearly marked, thereby creating an environment where shoppers find the exit difficult to locate resulting in them browsing around and making speculative purchases.

"I consider the scheme to be a misuse of public funds."

The Willowburn Hospice, which has a shop next door to Mr Bennett's premises, wrote a letter supporting him.

Written objections were received from the William Hillbetting shop and the building's lease holder, Exocet.

Martin Carter, counsel for Derwentside District Council, said: "The breakthrough would have retail units within it and, it is submitted, that a gap of the sort proposed would not be such as to mean that shoppers turn on their heels when they encountered it.

"The order-making authority does not wish to 'trap' shoppers, by making exits difficult to find, which seem to be the psychology which Mr Bennett urges it to adopt."

The inspector will write a report and a recommendation about whether the compulsory purchase order should go ahead to the Government Office for the North-East.