Council 'committed to secure' town's tallest site

Northgate House closed 10 years ago, which prompted a series of proposals for its future

Council leaders insist they are committed to taking ownership of a town’s tallest building while delays continue.

Darlington Borough Council said £2.5m had been earmarked to regenerate Northgate House into a mixed-use residential site.

The authority has faced several delays due to contractual issues with the current owners.

The council’s Labour leadership faced criticism from Conservative colleagues at a meeting on Thursday, who reiterated the need for the "eyesore" building to be demolished.

Northgate House closed 10 years ago, which prompted a series of proposals for its future.

The council first outlined plans to demolish the tower block in 2021, as part of a wider regeneration of the Northgate area of town.

A new mixed-use residential and commercial gateway to the town is proposed for the site, the Local Democracy Reporting Service understands.

The council's hopes of quickly securing a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) were unsuccessful and officials recently admitted any progress soon was unlikely.

At the meeting on Thursday, Conservative councillor Jonathan Dulston said: “Have you been in the room with the current owners of Northgate House and been as direct with them as I have about the need for the building to be brought down?”

Responding, cabinet member for economy, Chris McEwan, said he was confident of a positive resolution.

He said: “You will understand the complexity of this issue, and what I can say is the CPO is progressing but it needs a planning application, which is also progressing.

"We are committed to resolving this issue," Mr McEwan added.