THE owner of a Durham City shopping centre plans to give it a multi-million pound makeover and a new name.

The 29-year-old Milburngate Centre will become The Gates and will be revamped to attract new traders and shoppers.

Earlier this year, the ING Retail Property Fund Britannica bought the complex from Catalyst Capital, which two years ago announced plans for an £8.5m upgrade that did not materialise, although the multi-storey car park was improved.

The revamp will include a glass canopy at the Framwelgate Bridge entrance, stone cladding over the brickwork, better lighting, new signs and flooring.

The work will be carried out in three phases next year, but the centre will stay open throughout.

The cost, including Waitrose's investment in the centre's Safeway supermarket, is about £6m.

Company spokesman Gerwyn James said it was committed to its refurbishment plans and that it hoped to attract new tenants.

Architect Adam Rawls said the aim was to make the exterior of the centre more welcoming. He said: "We are trying, to all intents and purposes, to launch a new centre. We are re-branding it and refurbishing it.''

Centre manager Andy Bradley said he was excited by the plans, which he hoped would be popular with shoppers.

People can view the plans today, tomorrow and on Saturday in a unit near the centre's Framwelgate Bridge entrance between noon and 2pm.