The seven acre area we are looking at includes land between Houndgate and Beaumont Street, the Arriva bus depot and the areas to the front and rear of the Town Hall.

This area is bordered in the north west by part of Darlington town centre’s Conservation Area, which includes some listed buildings in Houndgate. St Cuthbert’s Church is also next to the northern edge of the area we are considering, with the River Skerne on the eastern side of the area.

It is a gateway to the town centre for people coming into Darlington from the south:

By thinking about the types of things we would all like this part of the town centre to be used for, it gives us the chance to shape future planning guidelines, which will help determine what developers can and cannot build there. This will help protect the heritage we already have in this area and make sure that future developments do not undermine this. It will also help us to ensure this busy entrance to the town centre is attractive and inviting for everyone.

Local people have already expressed some views about regenerating this area:

In 2006 people were asked for their views about proposals from Tesco to build a supermarket and some flats on the Feethams area. Those proposals were rejected by Darlington Council after the majority of people consulted said they did not want that type of development.

Since then the Feethams and Markets Working Group was set up to look at the possibilities for the future of the area. Independent analysts have also done some work to help us understand what types of things could be included, such as retail, leisure, residential, offices, car parking and open spaces. Now we want to share that information with local people and see what they think about it.