PLANS to demolish an established events arena, replacing it with a new indoor entertainment venue, as part of a larger food and retail development, are expected to be considered in coming weeks.

The proposals, including the creation of a new Aldi store, are part of the overall vision to re-site Rainton Meadows Arena onto an extension of Rainton Bridge Industrial Estate, off the A690 Durham to Sunderland road, at Houghton-le-Spring.

Apart from the supermarket, the draft scheme for the site included plans for up to ten smaller retail units, featuring several food and drink outlets.

People living in the area were given the chance to run the rule over the proposals and make their views known as part of the consultation process launched by site operator, Roseberry Leisure, and project partners, Real Estate Development Partnerships Ltd (RED), in October.

The arena, which began life as the McEwan’s Cricket Centre in the late 1980s, has become more of a party and concert venue in recent years, but has played host to everything from boxing to award ceremonies, sportsmen’s dinners, juvenile jazz band pageants to paper craft and guitar shows.

It has also staged weekly car boot sales in its car park, which also provides overflow parking facilities for staff from a nearby call centre.

In the project brief, James Ridings, RED Partnerships development director, said it would help to create about 250 jobs during the construction phase, plus several hundred on completion.

Michael Roseberry, managing director of Roseberry Leisure, said: “The arena has been very popular for many years, but an improved building would help us to create a hub for today’s biggest artists and events, and help build on the venue’s local and national appeal.”

The application, now under the applicant name Houghton-le-Spring Real Estate, is expected to come before a forthcoming meeting of Sunderland City Council’s Hetton, Houghton and Washington Development control sub-committee.

It next meets on August 8.