A BID has been submitted for cash to fund major environmental improvements to a Ferryhill Station play area.

Ferryhill Town Council is confident it will get enough money together to proceed with the £110,000 scheme for the Surtees play area.

The council won a £3,500 grant from the Countryside Agency to carry out a consultation exercise to see what people wanted to see on the site.

Now it has prepared a bid to the agency's Doorstep Green initiative for a further £50,000 to carry out the scheme.

A grant of £10,000 has already been received from the Single Regeneration Budget and talks are under way with other agencies for the rest of the cash.

New play equipment has already been installed. Phase two will include landscaping, creating woodland areas, installing footpaths and railings, a youth shelter, benches and art features.

There are also plans for a basketball practice area and five-a-side area, new gateways, disabled access, seating areas and treatment of existing plants to preserve them.

Ferryhill Town Council executive officer Jamie Corrigan said: "This all came about as a result of some consultation with the local primary school and the neighbourhood.

"It's all gone off to the Countryside Agency and we will find out how successful we've been by the end of this month.

"I'm also in negotiations to make up the difference and we also expect to know the outcome of those towards the end of the month."

The scheme is part of a wider effort to regenerate Ferryhill Station, which included a recent appraisal carried out by Groundwork East Durham.

Some work on improving the appearance of the estate has already been carried out as a result and the Surtees play area scheme has been identified as a priority.

Mr Corrigan said: "This will be the first Doorstep Green in the North of England. There are 25 planned, but we got in early and were the first to be given a grant to do the research.

"The whole of the Ferryhill Station area will benefit. Although it is part of Ferryhill it is its own little community, this is their play area and somewhere families can go as well."