A MULTI-million pound boost for a town has been hailed as a big step towards the regeneration of a hard-hit area.

Middlesbrough Borough Council's cabinet has agreed in principle to back the £59m plan to redevelop the town's old docklands - Middlehaven.

The council's share of the bill will be £9m during the next ten to 12 years. The redevelopment of Middlehaven forms a large part of plans to regenerate Teesside in the wake of steel industry job losses.

The scheme includes links to the town centre, housing, shops and businesses and the development of a visitor attraction.

Middlehaven was originally conceived by the now-defunct Teesside Development Corporation. It foundered in the face of objections from Redcar and Cleveland Council and Middlesbrough Council - later withdrawn - to an Asda store being the anchor development.

The squabbling led to the scheme collapsing, with the loss of a planned tall ships centre.

Millions are being poured into redevelopment of the area around Middlesbrough Football Club's Riverside Stadium, by One NorthEast and European grants