THOSE of us who were born and schooled in Darlington are very proud of our No 1 engine and our railway heritage.

Darlington does not have the castles or palaces of our neighbouring towns, but the recent increase in interest in railways means that rail heritage is becoming one of the national top tourist attractions.

It is with deep shame and disgust that I view the neglect and disinterest shown by our council officers and planners in our roots.

A majority of visitors come to a town for its history. Our town’s heritage is not being given a chance to shine.

The interest in railways can be clearly demonstrated by the successful York or Shildon railway museums, both free.

It is time our planners awoke to the fact that history is a crowd puller and source of revenue. They have had a knock down philosophy with the demands of developers given priority over townscape, history or architecture so that we have lost so many of our distinctive architectural or unique historical gems.

Residents in Westbrook have been working very hard to improve our area so it serves as a suitable backdrop to our railway heritage. We have, with a grant from the County Durham Foundation and with finance from local businesses, enhanced our street with Victorian street lights and in our very historic back lane displayed murals with railway and Quaker-related themes.

It makes me wonder if all our effort has been worthwhile in the light of so little interest and dedication from the decision makers in the council.

Shirley King, Darlington.