A 100m revamp of Cwmbran is being planned in a bid to give it a "heart and soul".

Torfaen council's leader told the Argus Cwmbran could be transformed under a mammoth scheme which could see the town centre double in size.

Councillor Bob Wellington said: "This is not a pipe dream. It's real. We mean business."

The plan, which could be complete by 2016, would see a hotel, cinema, restaurants, and new office, residential and retail developments springing up in partnership with the exisiting shopping centre and would include the relocation of the railway station to a more central position.

Councillor Wellington said the project would provide Cwmbran with a "real town centre", which would attract people during the evening.

The council's cabinet has voted to consult on six different options over the next few months with a view to firming up a plan by the end of this year.

Consultants GVA Grimley have drawn up the planning blueprints and the project has the backing of the Welsh Development Agency.

Council chiefs are busy wooing possible partners for the scheme. Councillor Well-ington said he was confident of getting "major business support" for the project.

He said: "This is the biggest project we've ever undertaken and the largest of its kind in 30 or 40 years.

"We've done a lot in Blaen-avon and we've transformed Pontypool. Now it's time to look at Cwmbran.

"Cwmbran Shopping has done a fantastic job in terms of creating a first-class shopping centre, but that's exactly what it is a shopping centre.

"We need it to reflect what a town centre is all about. The project is about giving Cwmbran a heart and soul, and making it a place where people want to come to in the evenings.

"Young people tend to go to Newport or Cardiff for a night out because Cwmbran just doesn't provide enough of those kind of facilities."

Councillor Wellington said a relocated central railway station and enlarged bus station would promote better travel links.