Railway heritage

Firstly, I would thank Shirley for her continued commitment to preserving our railway heritage.

I do, however, have to refute her claim that the council is “disinterested” in our heritage.

We have recently adopted the Town Centre Fringe Masterplan which looks at the future planning of the area.

This plan has received national praise for the importance we place on heritage and for making the preservation of heritage a core value in any future development of the town centre fringe.

Along with others, I set up the Darlington Railway Heritage Group last year in response to the community’s desire to make the most of our heritage.

Since then, local secondary schools have committed to include railway heritage in both their curriculum and extracurricular activities and discussions are on going with the Hornby company to develop a Darlington model range.

A survey of assets in the area that help to tell the story of the railways has also been carried out and we are also working with The Northern Echo and community groups to mark the 200th anniversary of the first passenger railway.

The council has committed to looking at how the immediate area surrounding the railway museum connects to other heritage sites and how we can all work together to ensure an economically vibrant future for the area.

Councillor Chris McEwan, cabinet member for economy and regeneration, Darlington council