- Durham County Council’s Cabinet will be asked to approve a public consultation on a scoping report, which will identify strategic priorities for a new County Durham Plan.
- The scoping report aims to identify priorities, issues and early ideas on housing, infrastructure, economic development and place-based priorities for the plan.
- The council is one of the first authorities to update its plan following national changes to planning policy.
- The consultation will provide a strong foundation for the plan before detailed policies are drafted.
A public consultation will mark the first formal stage of a new planning framework for County Durham.
Durham County Council’s Cabinet will be asked next week to agree proposals for the council to engage with residents, businesses and stakeholders on a scoping report, which will identify strategic priorities for a new County Durham Plan.
At a meeting on Wednesday 10 June, they will hear how a consultation will make sure the new plan reflects local priorities and provides a strong foundation for the detailed policy work that will follow.
Councillors agreed late last year that the previous plan needed a full update following national changes to planning policy which have significantly increased estimated housing needs across the county.
A report to councillors outlines how the plan will be prepared under new regulations, which require the framework to focus on locally specific issues, place-based priorities and evidence-led local challenges.
The new County Durham Plan will also reflect wider regional planning activity, including the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority’s Spatial Development Strategy (SDS), to ensure alignment on issues that span local authority boundaries.
Having formally started the plan-making process in March, a public consultation on the scoping report would represent a major milestone for the council, which is one of the first authorities to update its plan in light of national policy changes.
The scoping report identifies strategic priorities, key issues and overall direction for the new plan, setting out early ideas on themes such as housing, economic development, infrastructure, environmental protection and place-based priorities.
It will also allow the plan to correspond with the council’s work on its Strategic Place Plans (SPPs), which aim to create a vision for towns across the county to support a thriving economy and meet the needs of everyone who lives and works in those towns.
Cllr Joe Quinn, Durham County Council’s Cabinet member for planning, investments and assets, said: “We want to make sure that community aspirations and local knowledge influence our new County Durham Plan. By engaging with residents, businesses and stakeholders on a scoping report, they have the opportunity to shape the foundations of the plan before detailed policies are drafted.
“This will help us to direct investment where it is most needed, support job creation, determine the amount and type of homes needed across the county, ensure a wide range of travel options for residents and identify environmental issues.
“We are one of the first authorities to create a new plan in line with national planning policy changes and we are moving at pace to produce a plan that reflects the needs of all our communities. We are therefore keen to hear from as many people as possible across County Durham and make sure our plans serve everyone who lives and works in the county.”
The report outlines how a new County Durham Plan will bring significant financial and economic benefits, providing confidence for investors, infrastructure providers and developers and supporting more efficient delivery of housing, employment land and supporting infrastructure.
If agreed, a consultation on the scoping report will take place between June and August before further consultations on the proposed plan content and final draft. It is hoped the new plan would then be adopted from March 2029.
