THE largest residential-only regeneration scheme in Darlington could soon get under way.

Darlington Borough Council is hoping to announce the new owners of a 32-acre site, which once made up a quarter of the Firthmoor estate, within a month.

Up to 400 homes may be built on the site, where 356 houses have been demolished.

It is hoped the new development will house more than 1,000 people.

The council put the land up for sale last October.

The site is being offered to developers either as a single plot, or in three parts, measuring 15.5 acres, 10.5 acres and 6.5 acres.

A number of prospective buyers have shown an interest and the council believes it is on the verge of a deal.

A spokeswoman for the council said: "We are in discussion and have had positive bids from developers and will be making an announcement within the next few weeks."

She said that would probably be within a month, but could neither confirm how many developers were involved in negotiations, nor their identities.

Whoever buys the site will be expected to take a role in the wider regeneration of Firthmoor, of which the demolition of the old homes was a part.

The council announced the £3m plans to demolish the homes in March 1999 as one of three options for the estate, having received proposals from independent consultants.

Following an estate-wide consultation, the bulldozers moved in before the end of that year.

Proposals to build a school to replace Firthmoor junior and infant schools were approved by the council's planning committee last week.

The decision was a step forward in another part of the overall regeneration scheme.

The site for that development, which will also house a nursery and sports fields, is on land next to the Firthmoor Community Centre.

The Firthmoor Community Partnership Board was formed in 1999 with the remit of delivering the estate's regeneration. About £7m in the Single Regeneration Budget and matched funding has been secured.

Support has also been received by the development agency, One NorthEast.