A public consultation has been held into the future of a regional daily’s historic home.

Darlington Borough Council has sought views on the future development of the Priestgate headquarters of the Northern Echo.

The council bought Priestgate, pictured, last year in a deal that secured the Echo’s future at the premises, but the authority is now examining how to develop areas of the site that are currently unoccupied.

The ground floor is set to be refurbished and converted into an adult learning centre, while the future of the upper three floors is open for consideration.

Councillor Jamie Bartch, the council’s cabinet member for economy, said: “The Echo building is an exciting project, one that could bring new jobs and high quality office space to an under-utilised part of the town centre.

“However, it’s a huge building in need of a lot of work and before we dive in to make plans we want to hear from the market about technical issues that need to be considered and views around the options for delivery routes.

“We’re also looking for market insight into potential future uses for the building.”