A STRATEGY to celebrate and promote Darlington’s culture and heritage could result in a £26m yearly boost to its economy, according to a council report.

Drawn up to boost tourism, Experience Darlington is a strategy built upon the town’s theatre offer, rail heritage and the development of the Tees Valley 2025 City of Culture bid.

A draft plan proposes utilising the market town’s heritage assets to boost jobs and spending across the Borough while creating more opportunities for social engagement, skill development and civic pride.

It suggests doing more to enhance the experiences of visitors to the town and to improve its connections with the region’s other visitor attractions, such as the Bowes Museum in Barnard Castle and Kynren in Bishop Auckland.

The draft strategy also highlights the links between the upcoming 2025 celebration of the first passenger railway between Darlington and Stockton and the proposed City of Culture bid by the Tees Valley Combined Authority.

It is expected to be endorsed by Darlington Borough Council’s cabinet members at a town hall meeting taking place from 5pm on Tuesday, December 6.

A report prepared ahead of the meeting said: “By developing and adopting a strategy which creates the conditions to enable an enhanced visitor offer Darlington has the opportunity to create an additional £26 million per annum into Darlington’s economy by 2026.”

It added: “Darlington is a unique borough with a strong industrial and social heritage.

“There is a key opportunity for the town to make more of its unique ingenious story, from its lead role in the birth of the railways, Quaker heritage through to its globally renowned reputation for bridge building and emerging role in biologics.”

Many of the projects outlined under the draft plan are already funded, are completed or are underway, including the Feethams development and the restoration of the Civic Theatre.

Future plans include further remodelling of the River Skerne, possible regeneration of North Road to enhance its heritage, promoting the Stockton and Darlington track bed as a leisure route and marking the 2025 bicentenary of the first passenger railway.