A PROPOSAL to bulldoze part of a historic pub which stands beside the trackbed of the Stockton and Darlington Railway to make way for a convenience store has been recommended for approval.
Planning officers have backed the plan to create a 416sq m Sainsbury’s store in Historic England’s Stockton and Darlington Railway Heritage Action Zone in Middleton St George.
The recommendation comes despite concerns it will serve as another serious blow to the borough’s rail heritage as the authority pushes forward with multi-million pound plans to celebrate the first passenger railway’s bi-centenary.
Railway enthusiasts have highlighted how Platform One, which was previously known as the Fighting Cocks, is inextricably linked with the early days of the line.