Town Centre
Darlington is a thriving, vibrant and successful market town, with many high-quality buildings, good public transport and parking, and excellent leisure facilities.
A number of town centre projects are ongoing which seek to:
- regenerate and enhance the townscape, including improvements to shopfronts and commercial premises
- improve the public realm
- promote a mixed and vibrant street culture
- support skills and small business development
- make the town centre more environmentally friendly
- improve accessibility and restrict traffic.
Information about these projects can be found within the drop-down buttons below:
A revised planning proposal to improve outdoor hospitality facilities and support the developing pavement café culture on Coniscliffe Road was approved in August 2024.
The plans include the widening of existing pavements to accommodate permanent outdoor seating for businesses, a new pocket park with seating and the installation of trees and planters. Works will also include the installation of new bollards and signage, realignment of the carriage way and the introduction of a cycle park.
The project will clean and green the area, creating a safe and attractive environment where people can dwell and explore the wide range of independent businesses in the immediate area.
Work is set to begin in October 2024 with a view to this being completed in Spring 2025.
Watch a short video [external link] about the work to transform Coniscliffe Road.
If you would like to know more about the scheme please contact [email protected]
Improvements in Skinnergate and the Yards are focused on three main areas (improving the public realm, enhancing and improving properties and shop fronts and delivering new residential and commercial space.
The council have been working closely with local artist Nicky Peacock, whose creative vision for the area, Project Darling [pdf document], looks to reimagine the town's historic yards. Inspired by The Lanes in Brighton, Neal’s Yard in London, and The Shambles in York, Project Darlings colourful shopfront and public realm designs have helped to establish the yards as a destination of choice for those visiting the town. The project was named the best in region at the RTPI North East Awards for Planning Excellence in 2024.
To date over half of all properties in the area have received a face lift with further businesses set to benefit from improvements throughout 2024/25.
The iconic, former Northern Echo building on Priestgate is a cornerstone in our plans to regenerate the town centre.
Bought by the Council in 2022, the building is undergoing significant redevelopment to transform it into a new adult skills facility with high quality, serviced, office space available on the upper floors.
Leading workspace provider, Adavo, which has extensive experience in developing and letting serviced office and workspaces in prestigious, landmark buildings across the North East, will design, deliver and operate the project which presents fantastic opportunities for local people wanting to learn new skills, find employment or progress in their career, as well as for businesses looking to start, grow or relocate in Darlington.
The renovation will draw upon the building’s rich history to deliver elegant timeless spaces which are sympathetic to the building's past and will include original Darlington and Stockton Times glasswork and a memorial paying homage to people called to serve during the Great War.
Sustainability will be at the heart of the transformation with ambitions for the project to receive international accreditation for its environmental credentials.
The council has provided funding to support the construction of a new engineering block at Darlington College.
The Ingenium Centre, which features two advanced workshops and classroom space, has enabled the College to further develop engineering courses, including T-levels and higher education qualifications, and is helping train the next generation of skilled workers.
The project aligns with plans to upskill local people, to help them get higher quality, better paid jobs in the area; bringing more money into the local economy.