A MASSIVE investment of nearly £10 million in Harrogate town centre has received planning approval.

It involves a facelift for the 1960s 12-storey Harrogate House which many regard as an eyesore.

The application for redevelopment, together with The Ginnel, adjoining Parliament Street, has been given the go-ahead by the town's planners.

The Wetherby-based developers Oakgate Group Plc - which has big projects in York, including a £4 million redevelopment of the Stonegate Walk site - says it will breathe new life into the unpopular Harrogate House by refurbishing its tower, introducing a mix of residential and office units and building a hotel - hopefully a Travelodge - on The Ginnel site.

Updated: 09:29 Tuesday, September 24, 2002