Residents are being invited to shape the future of the county, from housing and jobs to transport and town centres, through the creation of a brand-new County Durham Plan.
Durham County Council is preparing its new local plan to meet the changing needs of the county, while aligning closely with national policy and ensuring growth.
As part of this, an eight-week consultation is being launched which will finish on Monday 17 August, marking the first step in preparing the new plan. It will be the first opportunity for residents to have their say on topics and issues that matter most to them.
The council is keen to hear residents’ opinions on the place they live, such as what the area does well and what it could do better.
The local authority has created a document to guide the consultation, which identifies the strategic priorities, key issues, and overall direction the plan should take. It provides guidance on how development in the county should be distributed, and the locally specific challenges and opportunities that require more attention.
By outlining this information from the start and asking for feedback, the council can create a framework that the local plan can build on at a later stage.
The document looks at a range of different ways the county can grow. These options include focusing growth on the main towns, spreading development across many villages, concentrating growth along key transport routes, creating a new settlement or major extension, prioritising regeneration of existing areas, or combining several of these approaches.
As part of this growth, residents are invited to give their views on:
- Housing needs, from affordability and choice, to the needs of older people or those who require specialist or accessible homes.
- Jobs and the local economy, and where new employment sites should go, which future industries the council should plan for, and how it can strengthen important sectors like tourism and town centres.
- Transport and movement, and how important good transport connections are to residents
- The environment, and how it can be protected while the authority plans for future growth.
- Community facilities and local services, and how new development should contribute to improving these.
- Health, food and local quality of life, and creating healthier neighbourhoods across the county.
Cllr Andrew Husband, Durham County Council’s leader, said: “We value the thoughts of residents when it comes to what matters most in the county. Local knowledge can help us understand what might work well, and what might not, in different parts of County Durham. Growth can be achieved in a myriad of ways, and that’s why it’s important that we get feedback on how residents feel it can be best implemented.
“We’d like to invite everyone to engage with our consultation so we can gather a range of views and opinions.”
Following a review and analysis of all the feedback, the council will then carry out a formal self-assessment throughout September 2026.
After this, further public consultation will take place in March 2027, this time focused on proposed content for the local plan, followed by consultation on the proposed document during Autumn 2027.
For the plan to be adopted formally, a further assessment and examination will be undertaken, with hopes that the new plan will be adopted from March 2029. Residents can take part in the consultation by visiting Folder: Help shape the new Local Plan for County Durham | Durham County Council
