Westminster Council is looking for sponsors to help fund an £18.5m redevelopment of London’s Leicester Square area.

The council first revealed plans for the Leicester Square revamp in November last year as part of a £70m upgrade of public spaces in the West End.

The redevelopment is intended to revive the area ahead of the 2012 Olympics and would also include the overhaul of Chinatown and Oxford Street.

The council wants to make the area, which was pedestrianised in 1992, a more family-orientated space while the square's central gardens are also to be redesigned and an open-air performance space added.

Leicester Square currently attracts nearly 250,000 moviegoers a year alone to its seven cinemas while other attractions include a number of bars, cafes, nightclubs and restaurants.

The Mayor of London Ken Livingstone is to provide £3m from Transport for London towards the streetscape upgrading.

Sir Simon Milton, leader of Westminster City Council, said: “Situated at the heart of the West End's entertainment district, Leicester Square is visited by millions of people a year.

“Working with partners we are committed to making Leicester Square a must see destination in its own right". ” Details: www.westminster.gov.uk