HUGE sculptures celebrating Darlington's industrial past will be lifted into place by crane at a big housing development today and tomorrow.

The sculptures, engraved with poetry, will be lowered into position to mark progress in the construction of the town's West Park development.

Local sculptor David Patton has been commissioned to produce obelisk sculptures for the middle of the development, with some visible from the A1 road skirting the site.

West Park, located on the A68 West Auckland Road on the North-West fringe of Darlington, will eventually consist of 700 homes.

They will be placed around the first new park land to be completed in Darlington in the past 100 years.

The new community will also have a sports club, leisure and health care and a community hall, and a new mental health treatment unit.

Tony Cooper, director of developer Bussey and Armstrong, said: "We have worked closely with the Arts Council North-East over the last two years to bring forward an exciting arts and education plan for the West Park development. We are looking to play a significant role in supporting the arts in Darlington in the long-term."

Eventually, the arts project will be extended to the hospital, housing developments, school and rugby club, which will also be on the site.

Poet WN Herbert has carried out research to produce a poetry plan for West Park, which will be a series of poems and texts to be carved, sculpted and built into parts of the development.

The poetry will focus on the site's industrial past as the former Darchem chemical plant and its present wildlife, alongside Darlington's history as a whole.

Cast metal bowls which will be incorporated into Mr Patton's stone sculptures will be exhibited during September at Darlington's Arts Centre.