Plans to convert a prominent town centre building into apartments have been thrown out due to inactivity. 

Darlington Borough Council approved a proposal for the Imperial Centre building on Grange Road in 2021. The plans involved changing the building’s offices, restaurant and bar to ground-floor offices and 18 flats. 

The building is populated by several established businesses including Manjaros and The Imperial Express Cafe. It is located in the heart of the town centre and its nighttime economy and is surrounded by a mix of retail units, bars, restaurants, cafes, and offices. 

Two letters of objection were received in response to the proposal by people who have leases to operate the existing bar and restaurant within the building. They said no discussions have taken place about the future use of the building. 

The Imperial Centre building in DarlingtonThe Imperial Centre building in Darlington (Image: The Northern Echo)

“There are many bars, restaurants and other leisure outlets in the area which has created a vibrant, busy and noisy nighttime economy and these businesses operate late on an evening, especially on weekends,” one objector said. 

They added: “To place a large block of flats in the centre of the nighttime economy would subject the occupants to levels of noise pollution, vibration and nuisance which will impact on their wellbeing and enjoyment of their homes. At the same time hindering the operations and further development of neighbouring businesses.”

It was also argued losing the bar and restaurant would have a detrimental impact on the economic function of the town centre.

However, applicant Longreach Estates has yet to start work on the site. Now, the local authority has closed the planning application. 

A statement from Darlington Borough Council’s planning department read: “As the application has remained static, and the Local Planning Authority has received no further written contact from you in respect of the application (further to request for additional information), and has received no formal contact seeking to either withdraw the application or agree an Extension of Time, the Local Planning Authority has invoked Article 40(13) of the Town and Country Planning Order 2015 to formally treat the application as finally disposed of.

“More than six months have elapsed since the expiry of the statutory time limit for the determination of the application by the Local Planning Authority and therefore an appeal against non-determination would not now be possible.

“The application is therefore closed.”

Longreach Estates was contacted for comment.