PEOPLE in County Durham are to play a vital role in the future of a planned £5m heritage centre.

Local people will be asked to help choose the final design of the proposed resource centre at Hardwick Park, near Sedgefield, which Durham County Council hopes will be instrumental in attracting more visitors to the area.

Six firms of architects are competing to produce the most popular design for the building. People will be given the opportunity of airing their views at three events, which will feature all the design proposals.

The assessment process is expected to take two days to complete after the designs have gone on show.

Each team of architects will give a presentation to accompany their drawings.

More than 70 consultants expressed an interest in designing the building, with a shortlist of six being chosen by the Royal Institute of British Architects.

The six companies are: Hoger Hare Architects, of London; Design Engine Architects, of Winchester; London Bloc Ltd, of London; McDowell and Benedetti Architects, of London; Reid Jubb Brown Partnership, of Newcastle; and Bennetts Associates, of Edinburgh.

Councillor Ken Manton, leader of Durham County Council, said: "Designing a new building for a grade II- listed historic landscape is not an everyday occurrence, and to make sure that the maximum advantage is made of the opportunity we decided to run an architectural competition.

"The winning practice will need to work closely with the county council to produce a sufficiently detailed design to make a planning application and a bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund by the end of February."

The county council has successfully applied for support from the Heritage Lottery Fund and has received £750,000, with another £4m to be released pending further development work on the project.

The county council will also carry out improvements to the existing buildings and grounds, with the aim of making it eligible for grade I-listing. Work will include restoring the 17-acre lake which disappeared 150 years ago, the park's Temple of Minerva, a Gothic seat, the main building's tower and the grand terrace.

Work is expected to begin in April 2005, with the centre opening in 2006. The displays will be on display at Sedgefield Library, tomorrow, Friday and Saturday.