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Planning policy
Planning Policy in the City of Durham is the responsibility of the Development Plans service. As part of our role we prepare the following:
Local Plan
Local Development Framework
Planning Statistics
Sustainability Appraisals
Local Plan
The City of Durham Local Plan was adopted by the Council in May 2004. It provides planning policies for the district up to 2006. The policies set out the criteria used to determine planning applications and also allocate specific sites for development. It is accompanied by a Proposals Map covering the whole district.
The Local Plan is gradually being replaced by the City of Durham Local Development Framework.
Local Plan online
The Local Plan including the proposals map can be viewed online by following the links below:
City of Durham Local Plan online
City of Durham Local Plan (text only) (pdf 1.02MB)
Buying a copy of the Local Plan
If you wish to purchase a copy of the Local Plan please send a cheque for £45 made payable to "Durham City Council" to:
Development Plans, City of Durham Council, c/o 17 Claypath, Durham, DH1 1RH
City of Durham Saved Polices
The proposed City of Durham Local Plan policies to be 'saved' beyond September 2007 (as guided by PPS12) are in the table below. The policies that are not to be saved can be found at the end of the document.
5 Year Housing Supply in Durham City District 2008 - 2013
The document explains why the district requires a housing supply and demonstrates that Durham has a 5 year Housing Supply until March 2013. The document includes lists and maps of deliverable housing sites in the district.
5-year Housing Supply in Durham City District 2008 - 2013
Local Development Framework
The Local Development Framework is the new name for Local Plan. It will, over time, replace the existing Local Plan and allocate new sites for housing, retailing and employment. Work has already begun on the LDF and details of these can be viewed be following the link below:
View the Local Development Framework
Planning Statistics
The Development Plans service publishes a range of statistics and information relating to development of land in the City of Durham. These can be viewed on our planning statistics page which can be found by following the link below:
Urban Capacity Study
The Development Plans service has produced a draft Urban Capacity Study of the district looking at how much land may be available in the future for housing. To view the study please follow the link below:
Link to draft Urban Capacity Study
Sustainability Appraisal
The Development Plans service also carries out Sustainability Appraisals of the LDF. Details on Sustainability Appraisals can be found on our Local Development Framework page following the link below:
Sustainability Appraisal of Local Development Framework
Other Plans
The Local Plan and the LDF are produced alongside a number of other plans prepared by national, regional and local government. Follow the link below to find out details about these plans:
Other pages you may find useful
- Local development framework (PID 856)
- Statutory development plans (PID 599)
- Planning - local plans (PID 494)
Contact Details
For further information or specific help with information on this page, please contact us:
City of Durham CityInfo
Telephone: 0191 301 8499 or Fax: 0191 301 8555
Fill out a contact form
In an emergency, outside of office hours, please call 0191 386 6111