Battle of High Row

It has put up a sterling defence of the thoroughfare's steps and balustrades and made the somewhat complacent council take notice of the opposing view, highlighting the deficiencies of its original consultation process.

In the final analysis, although more than 4,500 people signed a petition opposing the "pedestrian heart" scheme, not enough people thought the Victorian features were sufficiently special to support the Civic Trust.

Great responsibility now rests on the council and the scheme's architects to make the proposals work in practice. Darlington has lost much of its Victorian heritage since the 1950s and in sweeping away another element the council exposes itself to savage and deserved criticism if the outcome is a pedestrian area as lifeless as many of the others created around the country over the past half century have been.

What the new scheme has to commend it is the way it draws two parts of the centre, High Row and the Covered Market together. In many ways the steps and railings cut off one from the other, and not just for those who found the steps a physical challenge. Removal of buses from that area is also to be welcomed.

The proposed water feature is a grand idea but will require extensive maintenance and care. Water features are beautiful if looked after, but also have the potential to look like drains if not. The "events space" also has the potential to be a windswept skateboarders' paradise.

The Civic Trust, although defeated, should take heart from this episode. As a new organisation in the town, the battle of High Row has helped define its role, its credentials and hence its credibility. There will be other battles to fight in the future and the town will benefit from its measured campaigning contributions.