A PLAN to attract 200,000 more visitors to a North-East town every year by creating an array of railway heritage attractions has moved forward with the purchase of buildings linked to the birth of the world’s first passenger railway. Leading members of Darlington Borough Council this week approved spending an undisclosed amount of funding it has received from the Government as part of a drive to level up the UK economy on buying a vacant ground floor takeaway premises and some upper storey rooms. The former pizza shop forms part of the railway entrepreneur Edward Pease’s home in Northgate, where on April 19, 1821 the Quaker mill owner met Tyneside colliery engineer George Stephenson, perhaps for the first time.
An artist s impression of the proposed development off Neasham Road, Darlington A COUNCIL’S money-making scheme to build 449 homes and at the same time boost the area’s volume of affordable housing looks set to remain on track after a deal was struck with nearby landowners. Darlington Borough Council’s leading members will next week consider buying some 11 acres next to the former Darlington Auction Mart site off Snipe Lane. The authority is aiming to increase its income to fund public services by building 155 private sale houses, 150 new affordable council houses and 144 affordable homes in a future phase to be built by a registered social housing provider or the council.