IS Darlington up for sale or is it a magnet for new investment?

At 9.30am last Thursday I was hanging around outside a windblown building site adjacent to Darlington Council Offices to meet one of the developers behind what is the most significant construction project the town has seen since George Reynolds opened his white elephant football ground.

At the same time on the Echo’s website we were revealing details of alarming plans to sell off some of the town’s most treasured Victorian buildings and close vital public services as councillors outlined the staggering scale of the latest round of spending cuts.

What do these two events tell us about the state of life in Darlo?

The Feethams entertainment complex will open shortly after Easter, finally bringing to the town centre those modern crowd-pleasing leisure amenities, such as a multiplex cinema and Nando’s chicken diner, that have sprung up all over the UK. I can imagine teenagers - and more than a few parents - are anticipating their arrival with relish.

But if it is still standing a century from now will anyone glance up at Feethams and admire its grandeur in the same way they do the red brick Pease Free Library whose future as a cultural centre is in grave doubt?

I suspect the answer is 'no'.

Nor does Feethams possess the charm of the town’s historic Covered Market which also faces closure.

But the soon-to-open development is a sign that some of the country’s biggest retailers regard Darlington as a place where they can make money.

It will bring a smart new nine-screen cinema, some very popular eateries and a Premier Inn to a part of the town that was crying out for redevelopment. Developers Urban & Civic and the Borough Council have been keen to ensure that it works with the existing amenities in the town centre rather than against them. That remains to be seen. But at a time when doubts surround so much in Darlington that we take for granted it is good to see investment in the town's future.

FOLLOWING last week's announcement about the Government's spending cuts we launched a petition calling on George Osborne to rethink the formula which has a disproportionately damaging impact on northern town such as Darlington.

We need fewer about 2,000 more signatures before ministers have to respond to the petition which has been signed by people from as far afield as Skye, South Antrim and St Ives. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to show their support.

Please add your name at https://petition.parliament.uk

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