Councillors Richard Ormerod, David Freeman, Carole Lattin, Rob Hanson & Helen Weston

Liberal Democrat Councillors for Elvet, Crossgate, Highgate, Sidegate, St Nicholas and Gilesgate Bank Learn more

Labour push through flawed County Plan

by Elvet & Gilesgate Lib Dems on 21 June, 2019

Despite opposition from Lib Dems, Labour councillors have pushed through their County Plan. This is the development plan for County Durham. In Durham City it will see the ripping up of Durham’s green belt.

Labour’s overall approach is similar to the last plan which they were forced to withdraw after the Planning Inspector threw it out.

The plan has a disproportionate amount of housing and industrial development concentrated on Durham City rather than where it is needed in the rest of County Durham. At Aykley Heads 4,000 jobs – the published 6,000 jobs is for the next plan! Is still fanciful if not excessive in relation to the promotion of other sites in County Durham.

90% of the new housing proposed for Durham City is to be built in the green belt despite Labour saying the green belt has the “strongest possible protection”.

The plan gives the go ahead for further Durham University expansion in the city and fails to stop the spreading studentification with better controls on the spread of, and expansion of HMO’s.

The two relief roads remain, which will destroy open countryside, and which the Inspector at the last Enquiry in Public concluded were “not justified, deliverable or environmentally sound.”

Now the plan has to be considered again by an independent Planning Inspector. There is a good chance it could be thrown out again as Labour has again failed to listen to the thousands of objections to parts of it.

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