A MASTERPLAN for a flagship Darlington development is being revised to harness its full commercial potential.

The Central Park scheme is viewed by Darlington Borough Council as a flagship development for the town and the wider Tees Valley and has been more than a decade in the making.

Work is still ongoing on the site, sandwiched between Yarm Road and Haughton Road, which was originally due to boast 332 houses and numerous commercial units.

Buildings already onsite include the Business Central and Centre for Process Innovations and the National Biologics Manufacturing Centre, as well as more than 120 new homes.

However, a report approved by the council’s cabinet this week says that the site has more commercial potential than first identified when its masterplan was drawn up in 2012.

The cabinet has agreed to a review of the masterplan to see how further commercial areas can be added to the site, which is likely to lead to a reduction in the number of homes that will be built there.

The report states: “Whilst the current masterplan principles remain, it is considered that the proposed mix of uses on site will not enable us to fulfil the full economic and commercial potential of Central Park in the wider Tees Valley and regional economies.”

The report also highlights the “challenging” nature of work to ensure that the site is served by an adequate infrastructure.

Work is said to be progressing well at the junction of Yarm Road and Spine Road but the poor ground condition on the Central Park site has led to the need to lay layers of geotextile membrane within the layers of road construction.

This, coupled with the need for a phased delivery of the roadworks risks the scheme going over original budget by £250, 000-an additional 12 per cent. This would come from the council’s current Local Transport Plan allocation.