A European-style plaza with seating and trees is to be created in Whitehaven.

The £70,000 transformation is part of the Heritage Lottery Fund supported Townscape Heritage Initiative (THI) which has already seen improvements to historic buildings in the town's Market Place and James Street areas.

An official launch was held this morning (Monday) which will see the area revamped with wooden benches inscribed with references to the history of the area, and a low wall at the top of James Street with information boards about surrounding buildings.

Iron horseshoes and rails will also be inserted into the paving. Work on the plaza should begin by the end of this month and be completed within four weeks.

The THI partnership - funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, Britain’s Energy Coast (one of the company’s legacy projects, funded using money from the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority,) Copeland Council and the Copeland Area Committee of Cumbria County Council – provides £1.35m over five years to restore old buildings and bring commercial and residential space back into use.

The finished scheme will aim to provide a pleasant place to sit, a "fitting and attractive gateway to the town'' and a link between Albion Square, the Foyer and the shopping centre.

Coun Lena Hogg, Copeland’s deputy mayor and portfolio holder for regeneration, said: “It is wonderful to see this additional work in James Street. The current plaza is modern and attractive, and it will be great to see this added to with somewhere to sit and attractive greenery.

"It will also provide a lovely outlook for Albion Square and the nearby Foyer project. The fact that the history of this area will also be celebrated in the scheme is good to see.

"It was always part of the THI scheme to improve the public areas, so it’s good to see this come to fruition. This is becoming a busy and beautiful corner of Whitehaven, befitting of its historic associations.”

The Townscape Heritage Initiative is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund (£660,000); Britain’s Energy Coast (a legacy project using funding from the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority) (£395,000) Copeland Council (£250,000) and the Copeland Area Committee of Cumbria County Council (£50,000).