THIS week’s announcement, via The Northern Echo, that a £50m designer outlet village is being planned for a site at Scotch Corner has coincided with further concerns being expressed about what the future holds for Darlington town centre.

We revealed yesterday that draft plans have been drawn up for a 250,000 square feet complex featuring 90 stores selling international designer brands, as well as restaurants and cafes, at the junction of the A1(M) and A66.

A planning application is expected later this summer and, if approved, the complex could be open in 2016.

As the news was breaking, Beryl Hankin, who has traded in Darlington for 40 years, was calling for changes to make the town centre a more attractive place to shop.

Darlington is, like many towns all over the country, struggling to cope with the impact of on-line shopping and retail parks. Another giant retail park a few miles down the road can only add to those challenges.

It is surprising that a location such as Scotch Corner, well-known nationally, has not been a target for a major retail development of this kind before now.

But the realistic prospect of it finally happening has mixed implications. In tough economic times, investment on such a scale, with the potential to create hundreds of jobs, is clearly attractive.

But it also poses searching questions for nearby town centres.

Is a designer outlet the right image for the gateway to Richmond and the Yorkshire Dales? And what is Darlington’s retail offer going to be?

If Darlington is going to compete, it must make life easier for motorists to visit and accelerate plans to create a niche offering, with the Victorian covered market as its jewel in the crown.