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

Archive for the ‘Planning’ Category

New restaurant on the way

by Group Office on 19 March, 2021

A planning application has been submitted for the conversion of the closed Psyche clothing shop into a restaurant. The building used to be Café Rouge.  As a shop it has not been open since 2019.  We welcome the venture as the building occupies a central corner position at the end of Silver Street and adjacent […]

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Path to Pennyferry Bridge

by Group Office on 5 January, 2021

The path from the Swimming Pool on Freemans Place to Pennyferry Bridge is closed until the summer to allow construction work on the new County HQ to continue. There is a route through involving going between the Passport Office and the National Savings building then along the riverside walkway. Thanks to Cllr Roger Cornwell for […]

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Framwellgate Waterside working hours

by Group Office on 3 November, 2020

Labour councillors have approved the unacceptable extension of working hours at Framwellgate Waterside. A planning application had been submitted to extend the working hours to 7am – 8pm Monday to Friday and 8am – 6pm on a Saturday. For a site which has already generated a huge number of complaints about noise, dirt and inconvenience, […]

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New bus station imminent

by Group Office on 28 July, 2020

We are very pleased to announce that the planning application for the new bus station will be approved later this month. The planning officer’s report is recommending approval and both of your Lib Dem councillors David Freeman and Richard Ormerod are (unsurprisingly) backing the recommendations of the report to approve the planning application.  The decision […]

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Lib Dems get opencast mine extension rejected

by Group Office on 1 July, 2020

Lib Dem Councillors led a successful campaign to have plans to extend an opencast coalmine rejected. Durham County Council’s Planning Committee this morning voted to reject Banks Group’s application to develop the existing site between Dipton and Leadgate. If approved the firm would have been able to remove a further 90,000 tonnes of coal. The […]

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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 […]

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Labour’s Herongate Scandal!

by Elvet & Gilesgate Lib Dems on 8 June, 2019

Section 106 funds are money paid by developers to the council to mitigate the effects of developments. Elvet & Gilesgate division currently has around £130,000, much of which came from the conversion of the former DLI pub in Gilesgate into student accommodation. This money had been set aside to do up the bowling green and […]

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Land problems with new HQ

by Elvet & Gilesgate Lib Dems on 24 April, 2019

The bus park on The Sands is classed as common land. The Labour bosses at County Hall have run into land issues which could delay or stop the building of their proposed Sands HQ. In a meeting this morning Cllrs David Freeman and Richard Ormerod found out that the council will now have to do […]

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No Call-In for Sands HQ

by Elvet & Gilesgate Lib Dems on 3 April, 2019

We are sorry to say that Durham County Council has been notified by the Secretary of State that he has decided not to call in the planning application for the new HQ and that he is content that it should be determined by the local planning authority. The council has therefore today granted planning permission […]

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Labour votes for Council HQ on The Sands

by Elvet & Gilesgate Lib Dems on 5 March, 2019

This afternoon the Planning Committee voted by 8 (Labour) votes to 6 (opposition) to approve in principle the new Council HQ on The Sands. Both Councillors Richard Ormerod & David Freeman spoke against, as did Lib Dem committee member Cllr Mark Wilkes. Cllr Richard Ormerod said: “It’s a sad day for Durham. The extra traffic […]

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