PLANS to encourage wildlife and improve the appearance of a village will go on show to residents next week.

Two schemes will be presented at a consultation event in West Auckland on Tuesday, designed to make the area cleaner, safer and greener.

Different ideas have been put forward by local people, West Auckland Community Partnership, West Auckland Parish Council and a project team from Groundwork West Durham and Darlington.

The environmental regeneration charity is behind the consultation event, which takes place at the Parish Community Room in Monteith Close between 5pm and 7pm, and had a project team carry out an appraisal of the village.

Joanne Morley, project officer at Groundwork, said: "The improvements we are putting forward as potential schemes could make a big difference in West Auckland, so we would like people to come along and find out what could happen and get involved."

The first idea is to enhance land around Oakley Cross Beck, which would make the area more attractive and also more amenable.

It is hoped that if the work did go ahead, more wildlife would be attracted and the scheme would also increase the area's biodiversity value.

Groundwork also believe that the suggested improvements would alleviate flooding, which has been a problem in the past, and deter fly-tipping.

The second scheme involves improving the area of land next to the Village Centre community building - itself recently revamped - on Front Street.

The track, which once led to stables, would be made more attractive to passers-by, users of the centre and residents.

John Niven, from the Community Partnership, which meets at the Village Centre, said: "We'd like to get it paved. People from the estate walk across it and it is all loose stones.

"It would just be nice to tidy it up. More people are beginning to use the centre and the land is part of that. It will also make disabled access easier as the surface would be more level for wheelchairs."

Some of the funding for the schemes will come from Liveability and Wear Valley District Council.

Residents are encouraged to call into the centre to view the plans and talk to Groundwork staff about the proposals.