A PROPOSED £45m shopping mall with leisure facilities and a restaurant gallery in Darlington town centre has sparked opposition from residents and employers.

The plans for the ambitious Commercial Street project, linking in to the present Queen Street shopping centre, will go before the council planning committee on Wednesday.

It will cover a 6.42-acre site south-east of St Augustine's Way, bounded by Prospect Place to the south and Northgate to the east.

There will be an 85,000sq ft department store - yet to be named - 25 shops, a 26,000sq ft leisure unit and 230 roof-top parking spaces.

A 799-space multi-storey car park on land north of St Augustine's Way will connect directly into the scheme by means of a bridge over the ring road.

St Martin's Property Group, which owns the Queen Street centre, and the borough council, are partners in the project.

Residents objecting to the scheme have written to the council, including a 67-signature petition from the Bangladeshi Welfare Association, 35 individual letters and a separate petition with 165 signatures from other residents.

They are concerned about increased pollution from cars, especially the danger to children, the effect on North Lodge Park and the sheer scale of the development in context with the residential Gladstone Street area.

The Friends of North Lodge Park have concerns about the impact of the multi-storey car park on the park and residential area as does the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England.

English Heritage would welcome development in Commercial Street but believes it is debatable that the Kendrew Street area should be included as parts are in the Northgate conservation area.

The Inland Revenue has objected because its five-storey office building, Regent House, would have to be demolished to make way for the scheme.

The Lounge pub and nightclub would also be knocked down.

Fisher Carpets and Curtains say the development would have a "drastic and negative effect" on its business and Springwood Leisure, which owns licensed premises in Gladstone Street, has submitted strong objections claiming many aspects contravene local planning policies.

It describes the five-storey multi-storey car park as an alien feature which would overshadow existing buildings and introduce a bland lifeless block of parking.

If the planning committee approves the scheme, it will have to be forwarded to the Deputy Prime Minister's Office for consideration because of the amount of proposed floor space.

If he decides not to intervene, planning officers will recommend approval of the outline application