I worked with Tony Cooper, MD of Bussey and Armstrong when he acquired the former 'Darchem' chemical production site on the edge of Darlington in 2001. The location had a negative reputation but during the master-planning stages we were able to develop a positive vision for the development to be reimagined with a poetry led arts strategy which would thematically link the new park with the new housing, school and hospital.

I worked with the client to appoint poet W N Herbert who produced the 'Caring, Sharing, Daring' poetry strategy and this led to the poetry being incorporated into a number of sculptural works and functional objects as well as the naming of all the streets in the new housing, and even the naming of the new pub, all inspired by the areas local history, flora and fauna.

We appointed sculptor David Paton to create the large scale stone and cast iron sculptures in the new park, and sculptor David Edwick and glass artist Bridget Jones to create sculpture and stained glass for the new hospital.

The relationship between the developer and poet has now sustained for over 20 years and poetry and arts features have been incorporated in subsequent phases of the development.