PLANS to turn a landmark shop in Darlington town centre into a £1 store have been labelled a backward step.

Next month, the Waterstones book store on High Row in Darlington is due to reopen as a Pound Land.

Prior to Waterstone's moving into the building in 2005 the shop was home to Dressers - a prestigious stationers' and book shop well known throughout the region.

A larger branch of the book chain will remain open in the Cornmill shopping centre opposite its sister-store.

Waterstone have said it is not sustainable to have two stores in such close proximity to each other.

The announcement comes only seven months after the official opening of the £9m Pedestrian Heart project which aimed to make Darlington more attractive to shoppers.

A Café Nero located on the second floor of Waterstones is also due to close.

The plans for the Victorian building have appalled a Darlington councillor, who has criticised the town's low aspirations.

Councillor Alan Coultas, shadow cabinet member for the economy, said: "This is very much a step in the wrong direction for Darlington.

" The historic location is not appropriate for a pound shop, I would have hoped that Darlington would have aspired to something so much more.

"I always thought it was a pity when Ottaker's was taken over. Having two books shops gave people more choice.

"It's very important that Darlington has at least one good book shop. The important thing is that we are retaining a Waterstones."

Bill Cunningham, the chairman of Darlington Business Club and a director of Business Clubs North-East also felt a Pound Land was the wrong type of shop for the location.

He said: "Given the investment in High Row recently, this would be a sad development.

"Given the fact that Darlington has ambitions to become a university town I would hope that it could support two bookshops.

"It's such a historic building and location - on that run of buildings was one the original Backhouse Banks which was a forerunner of Barclays.

"It would be nice for the town if it was used in a proper fashion."

Over the past year, Waterstones book stores have closed in Newcastle and Harrogate where they, like Darlington had two stores in close proximity.

A spokesman for Waterstones, said: "Darlington is one of the few towns of its size to have two Waterstones bookstores so close in proximity. Commercially, it is not viable to offer two stores.

"Ten staff will be affected but there is consultation with them all to try and relocate them to other stores.

"The Cornmill store will continue to trade and continue to offer services to book lovers in Darlington."