Housebuilder Story Homes is delighted to have made a £15,000 contribution to local community group, Friends of the Stockton & Darlington Railway.
The funding will be used by the community group to create heritage interpretation boards and rebuild a former waiting room on the railway line remains, allowing the local community to continue enjoying this important historical feature for years to come.
The remains of the Stockton & Darlington Railway, which operated from 1825 to 1863, are close to Story Homes’ developments in Middleton St George, and the builder was therefore pleased to support the group with their mission of safeguarding and promoting the heritage of the railway.
The housebuilder made these significant community payments in line with the Planning and Section 106 Agreement* requirements as part of its developments. £5,000 was donated to the community group as part of Story Homes’ previous Paddocks View development which opened in 2016, and £10,000 has been paid as part of the upcoming Ashwood Grange development, both of which are in Middleton St George.
Next year will mark 200 years since the opening of the Stockton & Darlington Railway and the donations from Story Homes will help the group to celebrate this milestone. Although the £10,000 payment was not required to be made until next year, Story Homes chose to expedite the contribution to enable the group to make best use of the funds ahead of the bicentenary.
Richard Swann, North East Planning Manager at Story Homes, said: “We were delighted to provide a financial contribution to Friends of the Stockton & Darlington Railway and support this local organisation in their bid to restore part of the former railway.
“At Story Homes we don’t just build houses, we build homes that are part of the wider community and as a responsible housebuilder, we ensure we’re adding to the local area rather than taking away from it. Helping to enhance the heritage of the areas in which we build is very important to us and we look forward to seeing the funding being used to benefit residents in the area.”
Friends of the Stockton & Darlington Railway was set up in 2013 by a group of people with a shared passion for railway heritage and a wealth of knowledge of the history of the line.
Niall Hammond, Chair of Friends of the Stockton & Darlington Railway, said: “The Friends of the S&DR warmly welcome this funding from Story Homes, facilitated by Darlington Borough Council, as a contribution to local environmental improvement associated with new housing.
“With less than a year to go until the 200th anniversary of the Stockton & Darlington Railway, support such as this is key to helping our wonderful volunteers continue to conserve and manage important sites such as the former Fighting Cocks station. Funding from Story Homes will help us conserve railway structures and provide interpretation for visitors and those in education.”
Ashwood Grange is an exciting new development from Story Homes which is set to launch this autumn. The new scheme will feature three, four and five-bedroom homes, ideally located in the semi-rural village of Middleton St George in Darlington. This exclusive development will offer a village lifestyle with excellent commuter links.
The high quality, high specification homes at Ashwood Grange will be built in keeping with the local area while offering flexibility and modern living, with open plan layouts, bi-fold doors and fully turfed gardens included.
For more information, or to register your interest in this new development, please visit https://www.storyhomes.co.uk/developments/new-homes-in-middleton-st-george-story-homes/
