EFFORTS by a council to Government secure funding for its town centre regeneration projects have been applauded by a countryside charity.

Darlington Council bids to secure Government money for town centre and green space regeneration have been applauded by CPRE, the countryside charity.

CPRE, formerly the Campaign to Protect Rural England, is concerned about the future of the countryside in the borough and hopes that work to revive Darlington’s town centre will help spare green fields from developers.

Gillan Gibson, secretary of CPRE Darlington, said: “These plans are positive and forward-thinking and might benefit the countryside, as well as the town.

“CPRE sometimes gets accused of being ‘Nimby’s but we are not against development in itself - we just want to see the right buildings built in the right places and the fact is that there is no need to keep gobbling up Darlington’s countryside to build executive housing which benefits developers the most and doesn’t help the housing crisis.

“By reviving the town centre, the council would be creating an improved environment and a place where people want to live and work while helping take pressure off the countryside and create a better quality of life all around for residents.”

Darlington Council has submitted plans to the Government in a bid for £25m of regeneration funding from The Town Fund - a national pot of £3.6bn for renewal projects that support long term growth in key areas.

If given the green light, the funding would complement and extend regeneration schemes in the town centre; in North Road, in the area between the town centre and the Head of Steam Museum; and Victoria Road, including the areas around the station and the cattle market.

It will also be used to create adult learning space in the town centre and additional T Levels educational and skills space at the college, to support the creation of a 26-mile walking and cycling route along the original Stockton and Darlington Railway line and create a linear park along the River Skerne.

A separate bid for £1m of Forward Funding – announced in July by the Government as part of its proposals to boost the country’s recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic – has also been submitted.

The ambitious plans come as work to improve a link between Darlington’s railway station and the town centre and create a safer, greener route for pedestrians and cyclists gets underway.

The Rethinking Victoria Road project, funded by a grant from Tees Valley Combined Authority’s Sustainable Access to Employment Fund and the council’s local transport budget, is part of a wider aim to regenerate the areas around the station ahead of the planned redevelopment of the station itself.

It also coincides with the beginning of work to secure and redevelop the Clifton Road auction mart site.

Mrs Gibson added: “We have opposed plans for the building of hundreds of houses in the borough’s precious green spaces and are deeply concerned about proposals such as Skerningham Garden Village because, among other things, we fear it is entrenching car use by building these big estates in the countryside away from transport services.

“So we think it is great that the council is seeking ways of regenerating areas of the town centre and making them great places to live and work again.”