St. George's mayor Mr. Henry Hayward yesterday unveiled plans to revitalise the Old Town and transform it into a world heritage destination.

Cobbled flagstones, pedestrianised streets and a gateway to St. George's are special features to be implemented as funds become available. The full project could take up to 10 years to complete and cost as much as $200,000.

But a $50,000 donation from the Bank of Bermuda has boosted the project into action. Work is expected to begin over the next few months with King's Square and York Street top of the list.

Yesterday, planners Mr. Bert Winterbottom and Mr. Don Hilderbrandt of US consultancy firm LDR International and Mr. Stanley Kennedy of local firm SGK & Associates were on hand to highlight details of the plans.

Pedestrian streets with pavements to slow traffic, an inner harbour to encourage people to visit the town by boat, satellite parking and rustic-looking but stroller-friendly flagstones are expected to give St.

George's a new retro look.

These were some of the suggestions made during two well-attended public meetings many of which have been incorporated into the plans.

The outlying areas of St. George's have also been re-examined with the possibility of creating nature trails to prompt visitors to explore the whole area.

"We are taking St. George's assets and organising them to a point that visitors know what there is to see and do,'' Mr Hayward said. "We have to make the area more attractive to visitors.'' The main thrust of the project is to enhance St. George's natural charm while promoting its historical heritage in an effort to stimulate tourism in the East End.

As the oldest town in the New World, St. George's is a great drawing card for North Americans. Eventually, Mr. Hayward hopes people will visit Bermuda just to see Bermuda's former capital.

However, Mr. Hayward emphasised the Corporation was not aiming to lure visitors away from Dockyard. "I don't treat the West End as competition,'' he said. "We should complement each other.''