Hopelands Parking Bays - Update

The Parish Council have been contacted regarding the Hopelands Parking Bays enquiring about the status of works. Please see the reply form Councillor Gerald Lee.

Since receiving Bellway’s agreement to provide £15,000+ of S106 funding for new parking bays in Hopelands, a number of complications have prevented the Parish Council from completing the work. To move things forward, I met with Darlington Borough Council (DBC) before Christmas to seek both financial and practical support. Due to budget pressures, I was advised that the project will be considered early in the 2026 financial year.

I met with DBC again a couple of weeks ago. Following our earlier discussions, they have now indicated that they intend to include the parking bay works in the new budget being set in March/April this year. I do not yet have confirmed dates, but I am hopeful that the project will be approved as advised. If it is, there will still be a period after March for DBC to plan and schedule the work, but the assurances I have received give me confidence that the project will finally proceed.

I fully recognise how frustrating this has been for residents. The Parish Council has been unable to progress the scheme for several reasons:

• I  paused the project briefly to review the drawings submitted to DBC to check the distance between the proposed bays and nearby properties. I was concerned that headlights from parked vehicles might shine directly into the front window of 30 Hopelands, and I wanted to be certain this would not create undue light disturbance for the residents.

• Prolonged delays and procedural requirements from DBC, who own the land

• DBC Highways insisting on a high construction specification

• DBC’s refusal to adopt the bays once completed, despite them being an extension of the public highway

• Very poor response to tender invitations sent to contractors

• The need to re‑tender due to lack of interest, again with minimal response

• The two tenders received were both above the available S106 funding

• Further investigation revealed underground services beneath the proposed bay locations

• Contractors stated that any damage to those services during construction would be the Parish Council’s financial responsibility

Given the increased costs, the risks involved, and the funding shortfall, I concluded that the most responsible way forward was to seek financial and practical support from DBC. That is now progressing, and I am cautiously optimistic that we will finally see movement once the new budget is set.

Regards,

Gerald