Views sought on former DLI museum site redevelopment

An artist's impression of the planned new cultural centre

People in County Durham are being invited to give their views on plans for the former Durham Light Infantry (DLI) Museum site.

The museum closed in 2016, and the collection will have a permanent home at a new history centre in Mount Oswald Manor House, set to open next year.

In March, the county council approved a plan to redevelop the former building at Aykley Heads into a cultural centre.

A public consultation is now under way and will run until 4 November.

The use for the space would include an exhibition centre, art gallery, and cafe.

There would also be space for a DLI Gallery, although the main collection would be housed at Mount Oswald.

Earlier this year, the council approved plans to redevelop the building

Councillor Elizabeth Scott, cabinet member for economy and partnerships, said: "This is a fantastic opportunity to redevelop a historic building and create an ambitious cultural venue which would boost our tourism offer, in turn growing our visitor economy and supporting local pride.

"Providing significant dedicated space for the DLI Collection is key to the future success of the venue.

"I'd encourage everyone interested to feed back to our online consultation or visit our information event to find out more."

An event with the opportunity to see the plans, meet the team working on the redevelopment and ask questions will be held at Durham Town Hall on the evening of 1 November.