Darlington Town Centre Connectivity

Darlington East Street

In July and August 2024, we asked for your feedback on our initial proposals to provide improvements on East Street in Darlington for people walking, wheeling, and cycling.  

Based on your feedback and design reviews Tees Valley Combined Authority, in partnership with Darlington Borough Council, have made some further changes to the proposals in the area, with the aim of making walking, wheeling, and cycling safer and more attractive travel options. 

You Said

• You supported our plans to improve crossing facilities on East Street for people walking, wheeling, and cycling.
• Some concerns were raised over the proposed shared-use path near the entrance to the East Street Car Park.
• Some concerns were raised over the removal of greenery and potential impact on trees across the programme.
• You supported plans to deliver a connected network of walking, wheeling, and cycling routes across the region.

We Listened

• These plans have been progressed. We are proposing a new parallel crossing on East Street, near the junction with St Cuthbert’s Way. This would be a raised crossing, with separate space for pedestrians, cyclists, and wheelers.
• The proposed shared-use path near the entrance to the car park has been removed from the scheme. The route will now use the existing footway/ cycleway along St Cuthbert’s Way,  and upgrade the footway section over the bridge to create shared use footway/ cycleway, linking with the existing toucan crossing.
• We have reduced the amount of greenery that would be removed as part of the scheme. Some will be removed to improve visibility where the car park access road meets East Street.
• The proposed new crossing facility on East Street will link with the existing segregated footway / cycleway along the River Skerne, to improve route connectivity.

Have Your Say 

Please view the plans for East Street here. The Levelling Up Funding (LUF) secured for these two projects is fully pledged for sustainable transport projects to promote more walking, wheeling, cycling. 

For an enlarged version of the map, please click here.

Visualisations

For an enlarged version of the visualisation, please click here.

This scheme is due to be implemented by spring 2026. If you have any remaining questions or concerns about the updated proposals, you can: 

• Complete a survey before 28 Feb 2025. 
• Join us at one of our public drop-in events across Tees Valley  
• Email any questions or comments to [email protected]  

Next Steps  

The current plans will be finalised based on further feedback from the survey closing on 28 Feb 2025. Once finalised, Darlington Borough Council, in their role as the Highways Authority, will hold a formal advertisement on the final designs from March 2025.  Scheme construction is due to being spring 2026. 

Additional plans to improve transport in Darlington will be coming forward later this year; please sign up to stay up to date. 

Darlington town centre is diversifying. Lots of people already walk, wheel and cycle in the town centre, but in some places, routes could be improved.   

In Summer 2025, we asked what you think about the transport issues in the town centre and your ideas for making bus, walking, wheeling, and cycling journeys more attractive. This could include reviewing bus stops, improving signage, and delivering dedicated spaces for people walking, wheeling, and cycling. We also asked about how to improve the cycle network at East Street and want to know what you think of our plans.   

Darlington town centre is an important destination for shoppers, workers, and visitors. Important locations in the vicinity of the town centre include Darlington Rail Station, Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College, and Darlington Memorial Hospital. Other popular destinations are the Cornmill Shopping Centre, the Dolphin Centre, and the Darlington Hippodrome.  

Darlington is growing, with plans for new homes and jobs, including at West Park. At Beaumont Hill, 370 homes are also planned with a new primary school.  Some homes have already been built at Berrymead Gardens and Coatham Vale.  This means there will be more journeys in the future, making roads busier.   

Our vision for Darlington town centre

Darlington Borough Council has ambitious plans to improve the town centre. Work has been completed transforming Duke Street, adding a dedicated cycle lane and widening pavements to make it easier to walk, wheel and cycle. There are also plans to improve Skinnergate and Darlington’s yards and to create a pedestrian zone in Coniscliffe Road, using Government funding. 

We want to add to these improvements to create a safer, convenient, and reliable network for all journeys in the town centre.   

Current transport issues in Darlington town centre

We want to improve the transport choices available. We think there are opportunities to make journeys in Darlington safer and more enjoyable, and empower more people to walk, wheel, cycle, or take the bus, especially for shorter trips.     

Many people already walk, wheel, cycle or catch the bus to the town centre. However, in some places improvements could be made.   Buses travelling through the town centre need to follow the one-way route. While there is limited scope to update bus routes, kerb space and bus waiting areas in the town centre could be reviewed to ensure waiting areas are more attractive and conflicts are reduced. This could contribute to making bus journeys more attractive.   

Look at the issues and opportunities we have identified in Darlington town centre by clicking below. We have also taken on board your feedback on our plans for East Street and have now made changes to these plans. Let us know what you think of the updated plans.

Alternative Formats: If you require any of information in an alternative format, please contact us on 01325 792600 or via email at [email protected] and we will try to help you.

More Information

Revised Plans

East Street View →

Previous Plans

Frequently Asked Questions

Image Library