ARCHITECTS to carry out a major refurbishment of the multi-storey car park in Ebbw Vale (pictured), dubbed one of the ugliest buildings in Wales, are due to be appointed tomorrow.

HMA Architects, of Cardiff, are set to be offered the contract to carry out the work on the town's run-down car park.

A meeting of Blaenau Gwent council's executive is to be held tomorrow afternoon, when members are being asked to approve the appointment.

The contract will also be to refurbish existing shops on the ground floor of the car park - and the redevelopment of the Market Street site at the south end of the block.

This will become a retail and commercial scheme, with up to 15,000sq ft of floorspace on two or three floors. A report to the meeting says that HMA Architects' scheme is not fully developed yet.

"But the form, materials and use of a wrapping round canopy are a good starting point for further development. The principle of removing a middle piece of the car park to provide natural light and ventilation has potential." Newport firm Boyes Rees Architects, as well as two others, Burgess Partnership and HLN, also put in tenders for the contract.

The fees for the architects are to be paid from the Welsh Assembly's regeneration fund that has been set aside for Ebbw Vale.

The total cost of the refurbishment, which aims to improve access to shopping facilities, has been budgeted at £3 million with £1.7 million available for the remodelling of the car park

The car park is generally agreed to be an eyesore and it is hoped the new plans will help to bring trade back to the town.

Blaenau Gwent council leader John Hopkins said: "The refurbishment will be much more user-friendly and it will instil some economic regeneration in the town.

"The car park is past its sell-by date both in design and its condition." The council is hoping to bring some confidence back to a town that was hit by the closure of its tinplate works last year, and a Masterplan to reclaim the Corus site was recently adopted by the authority.