Wayne Hemingway founded the Red or Dead fashion house

Wayne Hemingway is part of a team of experts looking at how the town centre of Whitehaven can be regenerated.

Copeland Borough Council is examining the best ways to secure the town's economic future.

Mr Hemingway is part of the team which has started work on the six-month study, costing �140,000 and funded by West Lakes Renaissance.

Copeland Council called in urban design experts Broadway Malyan to lead a team of international architects in drawing up a blue-print for the town for the next 15 years.

Transport issues

The project will focus on the centre of the Georgian town and put in place a planning and design framework for future development to ensure the town remains economically viable.

Mr Hemingway, co-founder of the Red or Dead fashion house, will explore Whitehaven's buildings, history and transport issues.

A spokesman for Broadway Malyan said: "We will be looking at key development sites and seeing how the town centre can be linked with the harbour and with adjoining areas of commercial and leisure use."

A spokesman for Copeland Borough Council added: "This will be a very complex piece of work which will set the scene in Whitehaven for the next 10 to 15 years and will be used to inform investment decisions."

Mr Hemingway designed a number of properties on Tyneside in 2003 which were snapped up within hours of being released.