Aykley Heads
Durham County Council has submitted a planning application for major developments on Aykley Heads comprising:
- a detailed application for an office block with associated parking and landscaping on land known as Plot C,
- and an outline planning application for the demolition of the existing County Hall site and the development of a business park.
The City of Durham Trust has prepared a long and detailed response objecting to this complex planning application because it is of such significance for the future of the city.
The Trust’s key concerns are:
- the prematurity of such an application in the current uncertain economic situation caused by Covid 19;
- the damage to the Green Belt and the setting of the World Heritage Site that the proposal, in its current form, will cause;
- the failure to address properly the issue of sustainability and the climate emergency;
- the failure to deal properly with transport and accessibility issues.
The proposal can be seen on the County Council’s planning portal. The deadline for responses is 28th August.