Plans to turn The Bridge Centre in Darlington into Church

The former Bridge Centre for Visual Arts, at the corner of Hundens Lane and Yarm Road, could soon be home to a New Covenant Church. 

The now-vacant building acted as the base for the community arts charity and various creative groups after their previous arts centre closed in 2012. 

Following a “challenging” few years for the charity, the space, which is owned by Darlington Borough Council, was closed in March 2024 and put on the rental market. 

Now, planning documents submitted to the council show that the New Covenant Church wants to change the use of the space from the arts centre to a place of worship.

The former Bridge Centre (Image: Sarah Caldecott)

The New Covenant Church - which describes itself as being “passionate about building strong, Christ-centred communities that reflect God’s love, compassion, and hope” - also has a site in Middlesbrough alongside others across the country. 

The location is already listed on the New Covenant Church's website.

As reported, staff cited a lack of funding and available volunteers when it closed last year. The council, which ran the venue, said it did not influence this decision at the time. 

The community-led venue housed the Community Art Project and was home to organisations such as the Press Gang Etching Group, Darlington Media Group, and the monthly Arts Café.

The project provided an opportunity for adults with learning disabilities to try out visual arts activities with support and encouragement from a professional artist.

The local authority previously said continuing the Community Arts Project was a priority and the project is now based across two sites - The Links on Brinkburn Road and Foundations on Salters Lane North - during the week.