THE regeneration of one of the most historic parts of Darlington has taken a step forward with plans for a cycle path along the River Skerne.

The Skerne Bridge, the oldest working railway bridge in the world and a Scheduled Monument, will form the centrepiece of a new cycle route connecting the Rockwell Nature Reserve and South Park via the town centre.

The area around the historic bridge has become run down in recent years and the bridge itself, which appeared on the UK’s five pound note in the early 1990s, can no longer be easily seen by the public.

Darlington Borough Council has been working to regenerate the Northgate area of town in the run up to the 200th anniversary of the Stockton and Darlington Railway and hope to make the River Skerne a more welcoming place for walkers and cyclists.

Parts of a cycle path along the river already exist but a large gap between Cleveland Street and John Street makes it disjointed and poorly used by cyclists aiming to travel into the town centre.

A planning application to create a fully connected, well lit and properly surfaced cycle path have been submitted to the council’s planning department.

Tim Crawshaw, the council’s urban development officer, said: “This is a key step in opening the area up and making it apparent to people that there’s a lot to see in this area.

“The Skerne Bridge is a Scheduled Monument and we can reinstate it as part of a route to the town centre, as it would have been years ago before industry took over this part of the river.

“The masterplan is to connect the river cycle path up to the Head of Steam museum and mark it part of a heritage walk to celebrate the town’s history.”

The long-term projects also aims to reinvigorate the River Skerne itself by taking away parts of the concrete wall that were installed earlier in the 20th Century to protect the burgeoning industrial sites along the river from flooding, making the river almost like a canal.

The council is also working on projects to identify Darlington's heritage assets in Northgate as part of the historic walking trail ready for the 200th anniversary celebrations.

The project has won the support of Northgate councillors Eleanor Lister and Dot Long.

Cllr Lister said: "What we hear from residents is how proud they are of the heritage in the ward.

"It surprised me how much people mention it but for many that's why they choose to live in the area."