This question has reared its head numerous times since the demolition of the town’s depot in 2009. And judging by the comments left on The Northern Echo website every time a Darlington bus article is published, it is a question that still needs answering.

Supporters of the bus station concept argue that Darlington is a big enough town to need one and some claim that buses are an unwelcome danger in the largely pedestrianised town centre. Another issue often raised is that congestion at the bus stops, from both buses on the road and would-be passengers on the pavement, make those parts of the town crowded, noisy and unsightly. It is not unreasonable to ponder why a council would spend millions creating a largely pedestrianised town centre if they then allow hundreds of buses to chug so close to its heart.

These points, and others, have been raised before and all seem pretty valid. Yet Darlington has been without a bus station for five years and that doesn’t look set to change anytime soon.

But if there is such an apparent demand for a bus station, why is nobody doing anything about it?

According to Ian Williams, Darlington Borough Council’s director of economic growth, and Andy Casey, head of highway and network management, say the answer is not straightforward.

Economics, geography and demand all play a part and perhaps the most pertinent point raised by Mr Williams is that it seems the majority of Darlington’s bus users don’t actually want a station. “Arriva conducted a wide-ranging survey in February 2013 about what residents thought and wanted from their bus service,” he says. “And it certainly wasn’t conclusively in favour of a bus depot. It was about wanting frequent buses at stops where they wanted to get off.”

Mr Casey likens the issue to another oft-debated matter in Darlington; whether to allow cyclists in the Pedestrian Heart. Put simply, cyclists want to cycle in the town centre whereas non-cyclists generally don’t want them to.

In a similar way, bus passengers seem quite happy with the current system whereas most non-users don’t want buses clogging up the place. But as Mr Casey pointed out, 30 per cent of Darlington’s bus passengers are elderly or disabled, so being dropped off right in the centre of town is the ideal scenario for them.

Despite this, some residents see the new multi-storey car park development in Darlington town centre as a missed opportunity for a new bus station.

Some argue that a station could and should have been incorporated into the designs but Mr Williams says this was never a consideration.

“The big issue for me is having been in a bus station that is on a ground floor with a roof over it, they are very smelly, smoggy and not attractive environments,” he explains. “Do we really want to have in our showcase part of the town a smelly, sooty facility? It isn’t the right environment for a bus station.” Mr Casey adds that if a bus station had been part of the multi-storey plans, it would mean the building would have to be even higher and would lose a whole floor of car parking spaces.

So what about elsewhere in the town? There are a several unused buildings in the Commercial Street area on land close to an existing car park that could possibly be converted into a bus station.

But Mr Williams says those buildings could still contribute to Darlington’s future in a more positive way economically. “In making a decision to use key development land as a bus depot, we would not have the opportunity to bring developments such as Feethams Leisure complex into town that future generations can benefit from."

In addition, Mr Williams points out that the costs of building a bus station would run into millions of pounds that would inevitably get passed down to passengers and/or tax payers.

But what about pedestrian safety? A concern often voiced by pro-bus station commentators is that buses pose a real danger to pedestrians. Indeed, a man was hit by a bus on Tubwell Row less than a fortnight ago prompting a furious response on The Northern Echo's website. This comment was typical: "I don't see why they can't build a bus station on empty land then just have shuttle buses taking passengers from the town centre to the bus station. I know this will take longer but it works in other towns." Another reader wrote: "Durham City has a nice little bus station and it is not in the middle of the city, just a short walk up the street.Darlington could have a similar station on part of the car park in Commercial Street."

Mr Williams stresses that “one accident is an accident too many” but says statistically there have only been nine such reported incidents on Tubwell Row in the last five years. This compares to 1,750 collision accidents across the whole borough over the same period.

So despite the strong assertions from some quarters that a bus station is much-needed in Darlington, Mr Williams says that the council does not believe there is an “overwhelming or compelling case” for one.

That may please the regular passengers happy with the status quo, but for others, the continuation of the non-station situation will doubtless continue to be a cause of annoyance and complaint for many years to come.