The £100m plan has been drawn up with Morgan Sindall regeneration specialist Muse to change the face of the town centre.

The new central library building will also be a venue for arts and culture, while still retaining all the benefits of a traditional library.

Phase one of the plan also includes new car parking on Ferry Street, along with improvements to the adjacent Market Place.

South Tyneside Council leader Iain Malcolm, said: “Our ambition is to create a vibrant town centre which will be a place of all year round cultural, leisure and retail activity for residents, businesses and visitors.

“Now that the first phases of the plans are nearing completion and we move towards submitting planning applications, we’re about to make the first steps to ensure that our town’s potential is realised.

“We’re excited to welcome people to the consultation next week and look forward to hearing what the community thinks about the plans so far.”

Funding for the project is to be secured through private finance and a range of grants. The council said work could starting as soon as January 2015.