Council to discuss Darlington town centre fringe development (From The Advertiser Series)

Council to discuss Darlington town centre fringe development

12:00pm Thursday 18th October 2012 in News By Vicki Henderson, Darlington reporter

THE latest stage of a major development project for the riverside area of Darlington is to be discussed by councillors next week.

The Town Centre Fringe Masterplan will see land along the River Skerne, from the newly-developed Central Park Enterprise Zone through to North Road and into the town centre area, developed to form a linear park.

Darlington Borough Council has completed a consultation period with residents, businesses, schools, landowners and statutory bodies including English Heritage and the Environment Agency to gather views about the proposals.

The scheme, which will take about 20 years to complete, is expected to create 250,000sq ft of commercial space and 650 new homes.

The plans also feature a cultural quarter in and around the town centre, which could include a cinema, restaurants and the arts.

A report prepared for the council’s scrutiny committee, which will discuss the matter at a meeting on Thursday (October 25), notes that the proposals generally have a high level of support and that many issues were answered during the consultation.

One change that has been made to the scheme as a result of the consultation is the removal of Eastmount Park as an area available for development, after residents raised concerns.