The County Durham Local Plan was adopted in October 2020. National gudance requires such plans to be updated very 5 years. Durham County Council are in the process of doing this.
The current Local Plan is available to be viewed on the web.
Guidance for creating or updating a local plan using the new system is available.
NPPF (National Planing Policy Framework) August 2026
Timetable for updating the County Durham Local Plan
- commenced the new plan-making process on 25 March 2026,
- scoping consultation from 22 June to 17 August 2026
- Gateway 1 self-assessment on 1 September 2026
- a six-week consultation on proposed content and evidence will take place from March 2027
- Gateway 2 on 1 June 2027
- the formal consultation on the proposed plan is scheduled for October 2027
- Gateway 3 on 1 February 2028
- submission in May 2028
- Examination in Public
- adoption targeted for March 2029
Project on Letstalk Durham: Help shape a new County Durham Plan
Consultation stages
Scoping consultation
The scoping consultation ran from 22 June to 17th August 2026. Our response can be seen on our scoping consultation page.
