A FORMER Argos store will be demolished to make way for a regeneration scheme in a town centre.

Under proposals, the former Argos building on Newborough in Scarborough, North Yorkshire will be purchased and then demolished as part of the scheme to “breathe new life” into the town centre.

This Friday, July 12, all of Scarborough Borough Council’s councillors will decide on the scheme’s final plans, which include expansion of student accommodation for Coventry University’s North Yorkshire campus and additional "opportunities" for the surrounding area.

The regeneration scheme, which will be heard by the full council, is the local authority’s first major proposal in its Town Centre Strategy to improve the centre.

The strategy's aim is for Scarborough to be the “best performing coastal town centre in England” by 2025, and to increase residential living in the centre by 25 per cent over the same period.

If successful, the purchased Argos building will be demolished and high quality residential accommodation for 150 university students and 50 NHS key workers will be created.

As part of the report into the scheme, Coventry University which has a campus in Scarborough, is “urgently” looking to create purpose-built accommodation in the centre, while the York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust said it was now providing nursing courses at its Scarborough campus.

The council said the regeneration would meet the needs of the university and NHS trust.

Richard Bradley, Scarborough Borough Council commercial director, said: “The proposals represent an exciting opportunity for us to partner with a successful private developer to transform a tired and neglected part of the town centre into vibrant facilities that will help to diversify the economy and support young people and job creation.

“They will also enable the council to help deliver the strategic objectives of Coventry University Scarborough and York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

“Investment in the scheme could also unlock around £15 million of external funding for additional regeneration opportunities such as the transformation of the surrounding public realm space around the refurbished Market Hall, which will enhance the area’s cultural appeal and promote wider economic growth.”