Over the last few years we’ve been working to create a vision of the future for Lingfield Point, which will continue the successful regeneration of this important part of Darlington. We have tried to stay true to the early principles of Patons & Baldwins and we hope they would approve of the ideas.

To ensure our community ticks all the sustainability boxes – economic, environmental and social – we carried out extensive public consultation with the people of Darlington, who helped shape a vision they can be proud of. We aim to retain, renovate and re-use the most prominent and characterful elements of the existing factory buildings employing imaginative, creative and at times quirky design. We also intend to re-use the taller, iconic machine room buildings, which have been dubbed the ‘Seven Sisters’. They will be converted into a variety of uses including apartments, offices and art space.

Dotted across Lingfield Point and linked by a series of pathways and water features the ‘Seven Sisters’ provide a series of relics of the old factory through which the history of the site can be directly experienced. The character of the majority of the new site is determined by a series of strips of development, running east-west in line with the existing factory north lights. These strips will encompass new housing, areas of parkland which step across the site, commercial areas and retained existing buildings. Each strip has a different character within the orthogonal framework which creates a sense of variety and surprise as you journey round the site. Overlaid on the strips are the ‘Seven Sisters’ and their myriad of paths and water features.

By way of contrast we intend creating “the Woods”, an area of new housing. The Woods is planned for the north-western end of the site, which will take on a magical village quality with individual and semi-detached ‘cottage style’ homes dotted among the trees. In the middle of the Woods is a special square dubbed the ‘Secret Garden’ which it’s expected will become the heart of this unique neighbourhood.

We want Lingfield Point to become synonymous with sustainability which is why we are focused on producing a nationally recognised flagship regeneration scheme which will bring positive focus on Darlington and give the town and its people something to be proud of.

In order to do that we’ll need to meet a host of government targets (that’s the boring bit) so we’ll try to make this as painless as possible for those who don’t get their kicks out of quoting legislation:

• A new wind turbine is being built to provide clean, renewable energy for the whole community.
• It is proposed that over the course of the 15 year development Lingfield Point will become net carbon and water neutral.
• A gas powered combined heat and power plant will be sited in the Powerhouse complex and will provide low cost, low carbon electricity, heating and cooling to the entire community.
• Creation of an apartment building called Palazzo which will employ the latest green technologies. Palazzo’s landmark ventilation flumes will be reminiscent of the chimneys of the old factory while at the same time illustrating Lingfield Point’s new, clean green future.
• A ‘Green Village’ will provide homes designed to achieve sustainable Homes Code Level 6.
• In all around 1,300 new homes will be created, the first of the homes will meet Code 4 of the Government’s Code for Sustainable Homes with later properties meeting Code 6 taking advantage of wind and solar power, energy generated by combined heat and power systems as well as rainwater harvesting for ‘grey water’ usage.
• Creation of a new cross town route to create a sustainable transport strategy including new bus routes, a car club and car sharing schemes.

We believe our plans are sympathetic to the principles of Patons & Baldwins and will take the regeneration of this site to the next level.