A £600,000 project which will see historical sites in Weston brought back to life has been launched.

The town is one of only 10 places in the country to receive the funding from Historic England to turn its centre into a Heritage Action Zone (HAZ).

North Somerset Council will now be able to regenerate some of its historic buildings and hold more community events to celebrate the town’s heritage.

Council chairman John Crockford-Hawley said he is ‘delighted’ Weston is becoming a HAZ.

He added: “I have had numerous meetings with Historic England these past 12 months and am truly inspired by its depth of knowledge and understanding of the practicalities of heritage conservation and enhancement and its commitment to Weston.

“This HAZ is not about stopping progress but it is about helping Weston unlock its heritage potential as part of the regeneration process.”

Cllr Crockford-Hawley said everything is now ‘slotting into place’ as so many ‘wonderful’ things start coming together.

The council will meet later this year to decide which of the town’s historic buildings will be developed.

Ross Simmonds, from Historic England, said: “We chose Weston because we knew the council wanted to revitalise the town centre and we thought this is a really good project we can work with them on.”