A DILAPIDATED site in the heart of a Suffolk town could soon be given a much-needed facelift as part of a massive regeneration project.A series of proposals outlining ways of improving a major part of Sudbury's town centre are just weeks away, it has been revealed.

A DILAPIDATED site in the heart of a Suffolk town could soon be given a much-needed facelift as part of a massive regeneration project.

A series of proposals outlining ways of improving a major part of Sudbury's town centre are just weeks away, it has been revealed.

The plans - coming from a £25,000 survey from the Civic Trust - will focus on ways of upgrading the town's bus station and much-maligned Borehamgate Precinct, which has now been bought as part of a multi-million pound deal, and could pave the way for a new-look retail complex.

And supporters last night said they hoped any redevelopment would improve links and prevent shoppers from ignoring the town centre in favour of out-of-town supermarkets.

Tom McConnell, project officer of the Sudbury Market Town Partnership, said: “One proposal is to create a central retail and residential development in a bid to entice people into the town centre.

“We need to improve links with places like Waitrose and open up the town centre on a wider scale.

“It is a really exciting time for Sudbury and we hope the redevelopment will bring the town centre screaming into the 21st Century.”

The regeneration study began earlier this year in a bid to improve Sudbury's town centre and encourage more shoppers into the heart of the town.

Mr McConnell said a major redevelopment had been needed for some time and could include moving the aging bus station closer to the town's railway link.

He added: “Part of the site looks like a bomb site or something from the Third World while the bus station is fairly tacky.

“Updating the Borehamgate Precinct is just one part of the jigsaw but the whole development is something we have wanted for a long time.”

A spokesman for Sudbury Town Council, which part-funded the survey, said: “The area is obviously a site which cries out for re-development and the council are keen to see the most effective use of it.”

The precinct was redeveloped in the 1990s but its style - typical of 1960s block architecture - has often been criticised.

In July, the EADT reported that it had been cited as a nomination for one of the worst designs in Suffolk in a competition run by the Suffolk Preservation Society,

It was sold earlier this year to London-based developers Castlemore as part of a reported £17 million package.

A spokesman for Castlemore said: “The precinct is a long term investment for us and we are fascinated with what the consultants will propose for the whole area.

“We accept that the precinct is slightly dated and could be subject to improvement but it is early days.”

The proposals from the regeneration study are expected next month .