For Sale: House of Fraser Building, High Row, Darlington, DL3 7QE

Prominent Iconic Town Centre Building, Prominent Position, Return Frontage on High Row and Blackwellgate

Location

Darlington town centre is located in County Durham, England, approximately 15 miles west of Middlesbrough and 20 miles south of Durham City. It lies next to the A1 (M) motorway, which connects major cities like London and Edinburgh, and is served by the East Coast Main Line railway, making it easily accessible. The town centre features a mix of historical sites, vibrant markets, and modern amenities, including shopping, dining, and cultural attractions.

Population 368,000 as of December 2024

Darlington is one of the top shopping destinations within its catchment, benefitting from its rich cultural history and ease of access through local transportation. The surrounding catchment is made up of largely affluent Acorn groups, with its core consisting of family groups.

Darlington Train Station is undergoing a £140m upgrade, to provide a further two new platforms, additional parking and works to improve and enhance the visitor experience. Darlington Station is a key hub on the East Coast Main Line, offering various services and connections to major destinations, London can be reached in 2 hours.

With the Treasury expanding to 1,600 employees by 2027 within Darlington, work has commenced on a £118m office development within the town and 20% of these workers are coming from the South-East, there will be increased spend within the town centre. Employees coming from the South-East will bring in £650k additional retail sales to Darlington.

The subject property is situated in a commanding, corner position at the junction of Blackwellgate and High Row at the southern end of the town’s main retailing area. Thanks to its substantial footprint, the property also benefits from frontages on to Blackwellgate and Mechanics Yard. It is located less than 200 metres from the Cornmill Shopping Centre which is the town’s main shopping destination. Other nearby occupiers include Boyes, Greggs, Caffe Nero and the popular Darlington Covered Market.

The property is well located in the town centre and benefits from the excellent transportation links. There are a number of bus routes which terminate on Prebend Row, as well as numerous taxi ranks and car parking spaces.

Planning was passed in November 2025 to create 5 retail shops on the ground floor.

The upper floors have use class E and therefore can be repurposed as office space, alternatively indicative drawings are provided to show a residential scheme on the upper floors creating a mixture of 1 bedroom and 2 bedroom apartments totalling 73 units, complete with a communal gym and remote working space.

                    Sq ft                               Sq m

Basement 23,496              2,182.9

Ground Floor 31,789         2,953.29

First Floor 30,862            2,867.17

Second Floor 26,845          2,493.98

Third Floor 23,486             2,182.00

Roof              478            44.40

Total           136,956         1273.74

*Areas not to be relied upon

EPC

Rating EPC=C(54)

Expires October 2035

VAT

The property is elected for vat

Freehold

The property currently trades as House of Fraser and will be sold with vacant possession.