Darlington: A Town Investment Plan that has lifted spirits
Darlington Clock Tower, 2019 © Darlington Borough Council
A confident team ready to build on existing strengths and gain momentum
When Heather Scott, Leader of Darlington borough council and her cabinet were invited to submit a plan for investment in the town, they already had the kernel of an idea to focus on ‘gateways’ and a ‘pearl string’ of activity through the town.
“You've got to go into these things confidently”, Heather says, and being able to recognise their existing strengths enabled the Darlington team to do just that.
Chris Mains, Towns Fund Programme Manager for Darlington borough council, joined the team in March 2020 with the specific role of bringing together the Town Investment Plan (TIP) for Darlington. It was a steep learning curve for Chris, with the submission deadline of July just months away. It soon became clear that all the components were already there and importantly, there was a tangible strategic connection to be made both within the town itself and the wider region.
“That is the key thing with the Darlington TIP,” he says. “It's joined together geographically, and strategically as well. It really does fit with the Town Centre strategy, the Local Plan and the Tees Valley strategies.”
Darlington also went into the process of developing their TIP with a strong Town Deal Board made up of people across the public and private sectors within their communities.
“We think we've pulled together a really robust, but extremely vigorous Town Deal Board,” says Mark Ladyman, Assistant Director of Economic Growth. “We felt that they were the real game changers in the town and people who were very representative.”
Establishing a clear, unique vision and imagining the town experience for visitors of the future
That kernel of an idea was an initial focus on ‘gateways’. Darlington’s TIP is in part inspired by an imagined journey a visitor might make through the town, connecting the two stations via a route through the town centre. First, a sense of arrival and intent at the main station, before encountering a ‘pearl string’ of heritage, independent retail, culture and learning through the town centre, then up into the Railway Heritage Quarter.
This notion of a string of pearls was one image that helped the team to articulate a joined-up plan for Darlington. Another was the town vision created by the Town Deal Board. Developing the vision was an important milestone in the journey of progressing the TIP.
Darlington’s Towns Fund Vision:
Through targeted capital investment and by taking advantage of our unique passenger railway heritage and growth potential, we will ensure that Darlington has a strong economic and sustainable future which builds on its sense of place and offers opportunities for all.
“We spent a lot of time on the vision,” says Chris Mains. He recognises that one of the challenges with writing a vision is that the visionary aspects can often get watered down until you end up with something that’s too generic. In responding to feedback with new vigour, the team refocused on what it is that makes Darlington unique.
Darlington’s vision makes reference to their history and heritage, whilst placing economic growth at the centre of sustainable future development for all.
“We've got to use what we've got as a springboard for economic growth. Which is what this is all about. It’s about building on what’s here and taking it forward,” Chris Mains.
Front of mind for the Darlington team has been how to ensure that the town remains rooted in its rich history but is able to adapt to be fit for the future.
“We're extremely passionate that we celebrate our past,” says Mark Ladyman. “But this past needs to inform both the present and the future.”
A successful TIP and excitement building as Darlington takes the first steps towards a bright future
Darlington’s high-yielding approach ensured that their TIP sought to enhance and add value to existing projects, foreground the town's unique history and identity and focused on matching potential future jobs with local skills provision.
Their TIP includes a diverse range of projects. These include the regeneration of Skinnergate and the Yards, the historic heart of the town, encouraging people back into the town centre to live and enjoy themselves. Another project is the development of a specialist T-Levels teaching space that will provide the new accreditations linking learning with industry experience within purpose-built facilities. Additionally, there will be a contribution to the Railway Heritage Quarter, a celebration of Darlington’s role as the birthplace of modern passenger railway.
“As a team, as a council and also as a Town Deal Board, we pulled something together which has been successful” says Heather. “In these very difficult times, we need some positivity. We still do have problems. But, I think it's lifted the spirits of everybody and I think we've just got to build on that.”
This story was written from a conversation with Heather Scott, Leader of Darlington borough council, Mark Ladyman, Assistant Director of Economic Development; Chris Mains Towns Fund Programme Manager for Darlington borough council and Chris Lloyd, Journalist and Historian.
Darlington is one of 101 places invited by the Government to develop Town Deal proposals to deliver long-term economic recovery, clean growth, jobs and prosperity as part of the £3.6 billion Towns Fund. Darlington submitted a successful Town Investment Plan and secured a Town Deal of up to £22.3 million in October 2020. Darlington is currently developing Business Cases to take forward their Town Deal proposals.