The Trust responds to local or national consultations as they affect the City of Durham. The consultation issue is briefly summarised below and the Trust’s full response is available for viewing and download. Responses in 2025, Responses in 2024, Responses in 2023 and older responses are available.
In 2026 – Durham County Council
County Durham Local Nature Recovery Strategy
This is the final consultation on Durham County Council’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS). We have responded to previous consultations on this topic in 2024. Trustees welcome this document whose guidance is to be part of the local planning process, setting out the priorities for enhancing biodiversity, improving knowledge of the existing environmental conditions, and mapping out the most valuable areas in the County. Our response provides some suggestions for further details and refinements, particularly
highlight the importance of small-scale interventions in urban contexts.
In 2026 – Other organisations
National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF)
This consultation sought views on a revised version of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). The consultation was very detailed, comprising 225 questions. The Trust responded in detail. For many of the changes the Trust’s response was ‘strongly agree’ or ‘partly agree’. The Trust was pleased and relieved that so much of the ‘planning-bashing’ and disinformation has been resisted and indeed in many cases the NPPF as proposed gives greater protection and improvement for heritage, the environment, and communities.
Design and Placemaking Planning Practice Guidance
This consultation sought views on the usability of the draft consolidated Design and Placemaking Planning Practice Guidance. This guidance is intended to support the applications of policies in the National Planning Policy Framework (a parallel consultation on the new NPPF was also conducted). This states that development proposals that are not well-designed should be refused. This guidance outlines and illustrates the government’s priorities for well-designed places and how planning policies and decisions should support this. The Trust found that the reduction of the various previous design guidance documents into one was a useful change. The clarity of the guidance is good, the methodology is well explained, and this should aid usability and effectiveness. However, more basic explanation targeted at non-urban design professionals is needed.
