Major regeneration work in Shildon will go ahead as planned with residents also having a further chance to have their say on the town’s arches.
As part of Durham County Council’s major regeneration of Shildon town centre – to create a revitalised public space for events – the arches were due to be removed next month.
However residents are set to decide on their future after raising the possibility of keeping them with the council.
Public consultation on the arches was carried out as part of the regeneration plans with the majority of those attending saying they should be removed. However, since the plans were announced, residents have got in touch with their local members, Cllrs Brian Stephens, Henry Nicholson and Trish Pemberton to ask them to be kept.
As a result the council will now carry out further consultation to ask the residents whether the arches should be retained, removed or partially kept and used to display artwork. The artwork would be created by schoolchildren from the area working with an artist to reflect the town’s mining and railway heritage.
Cllr Brian Stephens, Cabinet member for neighbourhoods and local partnerships as well as ward member for Shildon, said: “Following the announcement of the plans, myself and the other local members have been contacted by residents asking us to look again at whether the arches could be kept. As a result, we’ll be going out for further consultation in the near future to make sure we continue to listen to everyone who wants to have their say on the future of their town.”
The further consultation will not delay the regeneration of the town square which will be completed to allow it to be used for the first time on Saturday, 16 July. This event will celebrate the visit of the Flying Scotsman before it arrives for a week-long stay at Locomotion – The National Railway Museum at Shildon the following Saturday.
The improvements will see the town square refurbished and canopies over the old water feature and statue removed to open up the space. Seating and bins will be replaced across the town centre with improved lighting also installed. Some of the barriers and guardrails will be removed to improve pedestrian access with those remaining being refurbished to fit in with the new look centre.
The improvements come after consultations with residents, schools and businesses highlighted the need to make the square more usable as a public space for events and activities as well as the removal of barriers to improve the flow of pedestrians. Flower troughs that were previously across the centre have already been moved to Hackworth Park, maintained by the town council. The town council will also take responsibility for the new furniture in the town square when the works are complete.
Cllr Neil Foster, Cabinet member for economic regeneration and culture, said: “We’re committed to ensuring that local residents play a key part in shaping the improvements that we hope will drive the regeneration of their town. So we’re very happy to listen to further views on what should happen with the arches.”
“The visit of the Flying Scotsman promises to be a major event for Shildon and we look forward to welcoming it with a range of improvements across the town that local residents have identified as their priorities.”