Newent's Memorial Hall could be rebuilt, an open-air stage installed by the lake and up to 90 town centre businesses given shop-front enhancement grants.

These are suggested projects detailed in a consultants' report, drawn up for the Newent Initiative.

Others include spending more than £60,000 improving pavements and a further £30,000 on providing five new bus shelters in the conservation area.

The report and plans, drawn up by Oxfordshire architect Alex Cochrane and consultants Roger Evans Associates, will be presented at a meeting of the town council's environment committee at the Market Hall on Monday, April 25, at 7.30pm.

Also present will be Louise Powell, regeneration officer for the Forest of Dean District Council.

Town councillor Peter Street, project co-ordinator for the Newent Initiative, said the presentation was highly significant.

"This is the beginning of a new era for Newent," he said. "It's not change but progress. The idea is to create an overall master plan acceptable to the people of Newent.

"It means the better use of some of the old buildings in the Conservation Area, where around 90 businesses are based."

Under the proposals, shop-front grants will be available for this purpose. Slab paving around the Market Hall area, in particular, is likely to be improved in the near future and the new bus shelters installed.

Coun Street said he was also very keen to see the open-air stage built at Lakeside for concerts and drama productions.

He said other schemes might have a timescale of a quarter of a century and pointed out that the rebuilding of the Memorial Hall, an idea in the consultants' report, did not have the backing of the building's trustees so far.

Funding for most projects will come from the Forest of Dean District Council, Gloucestershire County Council and Newent Town Council.