Here's a round-up of ten stories from the Gazette and Essex County Standard this week:

  • PLANS to revive Colchester’s town centre by building the state-of-the art Vineyard Gate shopping centre are a step closer after council bosses bought up a large swathe of land.

Gazette:

Colchester Council chiefs have confirmed the former Kwik-Fit building, in Osborne Street, has been bought from the Caddick Group developer.

Read the full story HERE.

  • AN £8MILLION lottery ticket bought in Colchester is still unclaimed.

Gazette: Are you the mystery lottery ticket-holder?

The ticket holder matched five numbers and the bonus ball in the Lotto draw on Wednesday September 14, 2016.

Read the full story HERE.

  • MYTHICALLY secret organisation the Freemasons have joined the digital revolution by launching their own website.

Gazette:

The front page of the website shows the Freemasons not dressed in elaborate regalia but doing skydives and sponsored runs.

Read the full story HERE.

  • A POPULAR prom dress shop which has been open for 25 years is preparing to move back to the hustle and bustle of the town centre.

Gazette:

Jeneveve, which also stocks formal and eveningwear, is set to open a store in Head Gate, Colchester, after spending a year trading from Severalls Business Park.

Read the full story HERE.

  • THE new £10million David Lloyd health club opened at Colchester’s Northern Gateway site on Tuesday.

Gazette:

The plush new venue has more than 100 individual exercise machines, five indoor and three outdoor tennis courts, a 20-metre indoor and a 25-metre outdoor pool.

Membership fees, which come under various packages, depending on what facilities you want to use, range up to £100 per month.

Read the full story HERE.

  • A MUSICIAN and a cleaner had a claustrophobic close call when they got stuck in a lift for more than three hours.

Afrobeats singer, Carl, known as 'Rudebone', got trapped in the lift at The Gym in Queen Street, Colchester, with Tina, the company cleaner and had to wait for an engineer to drive to their rescue from Norwich.

Read the full story HERE.

  • JAPANESE restaurant Wagamama is set to open in Colchester High Street.

Gazette:

The chain is set to open in the former Coffee Aroma and the William H Brown Estate Agents in time for Christmas.

Read the full story HERE.

  • A FAMILY has paid tribute to a father-of-four who died in a tragic accident.

Gazette:

David Green, 32, was working on the Summers Park housing development in Lawford when his dumper truck tipped over.

David was seriously injured and died at the scene despite attempts to save him.

Read the tribute to David HERE.

  • CODFATHERS of fish and chips have got a chance to secure the top plaice in a national competition.

Gazette:

Henley’s in Wivenhoe was named the best chippy in London and the South East - putting it in the top ten in the UK for a third time.

Read the full story HERE.

  • A US craze of evil-looking clowns terrorising children appears to have arrived in Clacton.

The sinister craze has seen people dressing as clowns in America to scare others.

Now clowns have been spotted in Clacton amid fears of an inappropriate approach to youngsters.

Read the full story HERE.