This is the vision for the Piece Hall as the first stunning images show.

Cafe culture could be created for Halifax if a multi-million pound bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund is successful.

The pictures show a repaved and levelled courtyard area, which will create a multi-purpose amphitheatre, where people can sit and take the weight off their feet.

The stunning computer generated impression shows how floodlighting, cafe bars and a water feature might help to show off the building to its best and attract visitors from far and wide.

"We want to ensure that the Piece Hall plays a pivotal role at the heart of the town's cultural and economic life for generations to come," said council spokes-man Ian Cooper.

The impressions and a model of the proposed changes to the Piece Hall will go on show next Thursday between 5pm and 8pm, at the nearby Square Chapel Centre for the Arts.

The model developed by architects Evans Vettori and the images by illustrator Iain Denby will help bring to life the ambitious and visionary plans for the Grade I-listed building.

"The proposals are inspiring and it's very important that we share them with those we know feel passionately about what is both a fantastic architectural structure and an important piece of the town's history," said Coun Cooper (Con, Todmorden), who has cabinet responsibility for community services.

Calderdale Council has until September to bid for £7 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

As well as turning the Piece Hall into a town square, it is also hoped to raise as much again from other sources to make it a centre for creative businesses and upmarket shops by 2012.

Key individuals from the team leading the bid will be on hand to answer questions at the Square Chapel event.

The scheme, which is being backed by the Courier, will be the centrepiece of Halifax's regeneration efforts, which also involve Somerset House, the Shay, the railway station and the Broad Street leisure and retail centre.