PLANS have been unveiled for a new £25m town centre complex which could include a cinema, shops and a hotel and create up to 700 jobs.

The proposed 150,000 square foot scheme for Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire, in centred on a former sports ground on Gough Road, currently owned by the Ministry of Defence.

It would be transformed to include several major retailers, a five-screen cinema and a number of restaurants, cafes, bars, and a 60-bed hotel with 400 car parking spaces.

The plans will be shown to the public for the first time at a public consultation event at Catterick Leisure Centre on Wednesday, May 1 from 11am until 8pm.

Members of the public will have a chance to meet representatives from Lingfield Securities PLC, who are behind the plans, before a formal planning application is submitted at the end of May.

Jonathan Hart, chief executive of Lingfield Securities, said: “We believe our proposals will play a vital part in supporting local businesses and adding to the prosperity of the wider area.

“These are exciting times for Catterick Garrison with the Army naming it as one of five major UK bases in which it will concentrate its resources. "

Richmondshire District Councillor and Catterick Garrison resident Stephanie Todd said the proposals were a positive move for jobs for the town but the developers had to do their homework to ensure road infrastructure could cope with the increased traffic.

“The developers also need to make sure the rents for retailers will not be so high they are priced out of the market – it would be nice to have some small local businesses as well as the large national retailers,” she said.

Lingfield Securities signed an agreement in 2010 with the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO), the MOD’s property and services provider, to carry out proposals for the development of the site.

Martin Watson, of DIO, said: “Our vision for Catterick Garrison is to integrate military and civilian communities, encouraging social and economic development to serve the Armed Forces their families and the local population.”