West Park covers 49 hectares (121 acres) of land between the Cockerton and Faverdale areas of Darlington and is bounded by the A68 and adjacent to the A1(M). Half of the area was the site of the former Darlington Chemical and Insulating (Darchem) works and tip. The remainder was farmland. The tip covered 13.3 hectares (33 acres) of land and asbestos-contaminated waste had been tipped in to a series of lagoons. Before work commenced, this area was Darlington's only significant remaining area of industrial dereliction.
Through detailed discussions with the key partners; Bussey & Armstrong Projects, Darlington Borough Council, County Durham & Darlington Priority Services NHS Trust, Northern Arts, Bellway and Tees Forest, a ten year plan for a sustainable new community has been established.
The site now features a new hill top parkland covering 12 hectares (30 acres), and work has already begun on the new hospital and school.
In February 2004, the first sod was cut on the new £3million school, a state of the art building that will replace the current Alderman Leach School when it opens in just over a year's time. The new school will accommodate 315 pupils and will include a 26 place Nursery unit which will also provide wrap round care for three and four year olds. Special features include, state of the art facilities, the latest IT technology, interactive whiteboards, a multi-use games area, football pitch and a hall with a sprung floor making it suitable for recreational activities such as badminton.
Further developments on West Park include new housing, a rugby club and a retail outlet.
The development has won a Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors Award.