Sunderland City Council (SCC) has revealed that designs drawn up by artist Fiona Heron have been selected for the new gates that will be located at the entrance to Roker Pier.

A series of stainless steel posts and toughened glass panels will be used to capture and reflect natural light as part of the design, while a brass-framed porthole will celebrate the pier's link with a nearby lighthouse. SCC is looking to replace the pier gates as part of wider plans to regenerate the Roker and Seaburn seafront and follows a public consultation exercise held earlier this year.

The gate scheme will cost £75,000, with work due to start on the new gates in March 2011. Efforts to revamp the seafront have been boosted by £1m as part of the Sea Change Fund and £500,000 from the council. SCC portfolio holder for safer city and culture Denny Wilson said: "The seafront is one of our greatest assets and winning the Sea Change funding has given us the chance to turn ideas into reality as part of the city's wider regeneration.

"This is just the first of a number of improvements people can expect to see to the seafront over the next 18 months following the consultation we carried out last year."