A road closure to allow for a building to be demolished in the centre of Darlington has been extended for another week.
East Street is currently closed to allow for the demolition of a former club and bowling alley, which was more recently used as Sports Direct.
The site is being cleared to make way for a residential development.
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A closure on East Street to provide a safe working environment as they pull down the bit closest to the pavement was due to end on Friday.
However, it has now been extended to this Friday, August 5. There is a diversion route in place. Access to the East Street car park is via the A167 St Cuthbert’s Way.
Darlington Borough Council, which bought the site last year, is clearing it for future regeneration.
Plans are yet to be submitted for housing on the site, but the council says it has had interest from a number of developers.
Clearance of the building is now well-underway, with a previously unseen view of the back of Crown Street Library now visible from St Cuthbert’s Way.
Work has been underway there since May, with bulldozers moving onto the site in June.
The warehouse in Darlington has been vacant for some time and has been an eye sore for several years.
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Previous plans to turn the building into a gym fell through and Darlington Borough Council purchased the site, which is opposite the planned location for the economic campus being built in the town.
The building, which was originally built in the mid-1960s, was once home to the Magnet ten pin bowling alley as well as a two-storey nightclub.
The bowling alley ceased trading in the mid-1970s and was taken over by the Magnet Furniture Group and used as a retail showroom and depot.
It was subsequently used by Sports Direct until several years ago when the company moved premises to its current Cornmill Centre location.
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