A RUNdown town centre shopping precinct will get a £200,000 facelift after plans for a major redevelopment had to be shelved.

Work which started this week at Festival Walk, in Spennymoor, aims to smarten up the area's appearance and boost security.

But the mall's owner, Ediston Properties, revealed it had hoped to overhaul the site with more than £1m of improvements.

The Edinburgh-based company applied for public sector grants to boost its own investment, but failed to get the cash because it is a private site.

Geoff Hepburn, of Ediston, said: "We could have carried out a complete reconfiguration of the centre, there were so many opportunities for moving tenancies around and turning the scheme into something that embraced the town centre and increased footfall.

"There were also opportunities to incorporate a residential aspect and a great mixture of business types.

"We were looking at proposals that would cost up to £1.5m and cannot fund that ourselves, the resulting rents would not be viable."

After the grant applications were refused, bosses changed their plans and instead instigated a basic improvements scheme.

The centre will be redecorated and security measures will include CCTV cameras, new shutters and a gate to close a passageway between the mall and a car park overnight.

Four empty units will be spruced up after Sedgefield Borough Council offered £60,000 of shopfront improvement grants, in an attempt to make them more attractive to potential retailers.

Mr Hepburn said: "It isn't ideal, but we hope people will get a better first impression of the area, feel safe, and so be more inclined to shop and trade there."

Sedgefield borough councillor Ben Ord, who represents the town ward and had called for improvements, said: "I am disappointed that Ediston didn't get the money for a bigger scheme, but this is a start and a step in the right direction.

"I hope it will make traders feel happier to run businesses in the town and for residents to shop locally."

Last November, The Northern Echo launched a Shopping for a Future campaign to support Spennymoor traders and encourage residents to shop locally.