A £1bn overhaul of Basildon town centre is to go ahead after the local authority named Barratt Homes Wilson Bowden Developments (BWB) as its development partner.

The Essex town's Towngate Theatre is set to undergo a major revamp as part of the 20-year scheme, which is also set to include 52,000sq m (559,723sq ft) of new retail and leisure space. BWB is proposing to increase the seating capacity of the theatre from 546 to 1,200 to enable existing backstage areas to be reused and the auditorium and foyer to be rebuilt.

Improvements to the town's Gloucester Park - including a 'city park' - and a 'Green Link' boulevard between the town centre and the park have also been mooted as part of the scheme, along with a hotel. Basildon Council leader Tony Ball said: "This is a long-term project that will help to get Basildon back into the top 50 town centres in the country, where it belongs.

"The regeneration will not happen overnight. The first task will be the preparation of the masterplan coupled with developing the plans for the first retail and leisure phase." Stephen Horgan, the council's deputy leader, added: "We intend to create a real night-time economy, attracting new leisure facilities into the town centre, making it a more welcoming and vibrant place to visit in the evening."

Image: Basildon's Towngate Theatre