Last orders have been called on a longstanding pub after a date was set to begin demolishing it for a new train station.
The former Hogan’s pub, on Victoria Road in Darlington, will be knocked down by teams from Thompsons of Prudhoe from January 30, with work to last until March 24.
The landmark, previously know at the Park Hotel, was originally built as a Temperance Hotel.
Its demolition will pave the way for a safer and improved modern road arrangement to enable better bus connections, and a larger landscaped space in front of the station.
The station overhaul will be completed in 2025 in time for the Stockton and Darlington Railway bicentennial celebrations.
Three new platforms will accommodate current services and improve rail connections both within the Tees Valley and beyond via the East Coast Main Line.
The station project has already been primed with £33m from the Tees Valley Combined Authority and Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen.
It saw a £93m cash injection rubber stamped late last year to take total Government investment to £105m.
Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said: “Many people in Darlington and beyond will have a memory of Hogan’s in some way, shape, or form. It’s been a landmark near the station for generations – but time has taken its toll, and now we need to look to the future.
“We’re bringing it down for a very good reason. Its departure will allow us to create a modern western gateway to the station, with a better road layout and much improved access.
“Demolition work is really ramping up on both the Eastern and Western sides of the station. This is a vital project to the future of both the town and our region and when it’s ready, it will give Darlington the station it has deserved for many years.”
An upgrade to the Victoria Road entrance and car park pick-up and drop-off points on the western side of the station are planned – with new road layouts, wider pavements, and a boost to walking and cycling access. There will also be better connections with other types of transport.
Demolition work on the east side of the station has been continuing at pace in recent months.
On the western side, work was carried out on Victoria Road in 2021 with the help of a TVCA grant and council funding – including with new traffic lights and street furniture.
Cllr Jonathan Dulston, leader of Darlington Council and TVCA cabinet member for transport, said: “The Hogan’s building has been a Darlington landmark for many years, providing many a send-off for travellers and a well-known night out for locals. But as the plans to transform the railway station and its surroundings move forward, we’re now ready to call time on the venue.
“Removing the building, which is in a poor state of repair, will open up the approach to the railway station and create space for better onward public transport links and a safer road layout.
“This is the first of many changes that people will see in the area, and I can’t wait to see the transformation of our iconic station into a transport hub fit for the 21st Century.”
