Store plan at former Elm Ridge garden centre in Darlington

The former Elm Ridge Garden Garden Centre will be demolished to make way for the mixed-use facility. The business, on Coniscliffe Road, closed in April 2023. 

Councillors voted to approve the planning application at a committee meeting yesterday (Wednesday, October 9). 

Applicant Ward Estates said the new store will occupy the ground floor, with offices on the first and second floors. A new car park with 44 spaces is also proposed.

The identity of the store is unclear after Sainsbury’s pulled out of plans to open at the site, but a national operator is believed to have signed up. 

However, residents questioned the need for another convenience store. More than 40 people objected to the plans, with just four in support. 

Kate Heljula said: “We are an area that is very well serviced for convenience stores. We seem to be adding something that residents don’t need in a place that is not suitable.”

The owners of the nearby Blackwell Stores recently objected to the plans, saying it threatened the future of their business. “Customers have expressed their worry about this development to us and what it will do to their community,” they said. 

Existing convenience stores include the nearby petrol filling station, two stores on Cleveland Terrace and the Co-op at Mowden.

The planning meeting was told several residents had complained about the state of the site. Ms Heljula added: “Whoever is responsible for leaving it in this state is pretty disgraceful.”

Edwina Flowers moved opposite the site two-and-a-half years ago and raised concerns over increased traffic in the area.

She said: “The road is really busy and takes five minutes to get across. It’s just going to be a big thing stuck in front of us. 

“Why do we need a store there? I wish I’d known they were going to do that because I wouldn’t have moved there.”

The business, on Coniscliffe Road, closed in April 2023. (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)

Meanwhile, Heather Scott, councilllor for Park West ward, suggested installing double yellow lines on Carmel Road South to improve road safety. 

“This is a danger for everybody in the area,” she said. “We don’t want to wait until there is a serious accident. We need to take these precautions in planning.”

The meeting heard the new store is intended to be marketed as a ‘top up’ store that allows more convenient access for local customers, reducing the need for dedicated, larger shopping trips to conventional supermarkets, and reducing the need to travel by car.

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Andy Darby, of ELG Planning speaking on behalf of the applicant, said residents’ concerns have not been ignored and have been addressed where possible. 

He added: “We emphasise that the convenience store is mainly for people nearby who would walk to the store and most car trips would be by people already passing by as opposed to new trips on the highway network. 

“The application will secure the much-needed redevelopment of what is currently a prominent vacant site to deliver enhanced local facilities for the communities in the west of Darlington as well as a number of job opportunities.”

In voting for approval, councillors recommend changes to the store’s licence, reducing Sunday delivery times and opening times from 6am to 10pm.