City of Durham Parish Council

Parish Council supports proposed new Lowes Barn Community Centre

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The City of Durham Parish Council has written a letter of support in response to the planning application for the new Lowes Barn Community Centre.

If approved, this community centre will represent the culmination of over 3,500 volunteer hours of work carried out by a small, dedicated team of 6-7 Trustees of the Lowes Barn Community Project (LBCP) and 8 volunteers. Funding for this project has been made possible thanks to the allocation of a substantial amount of Section 106 Community Fund by Durham Area Action Partnership and a further £80,000 committed from the former County Councillors for the area towards the construction of this new centre. A great deal of time, effort, detail and consultation has been carried out ahead of this planning application and the Parish Council applauds the enormous community effort which has allowed the project to reach this stage.

See the Parish Council’s response to the application here:
DM/20/01008/FPA | Erection of community centre building with associated bin store and cycle parking | Lowes Barn Recreation Ground Off Park House Road Durham DH1 3QF

Parish Council responds to bus station planning application

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Durham County Council is proposing to demolish the existing bus station on North Road and replace this with a brand new building in the same location. This application is one of the most important in our parish for a number of years and the Parish Council hopes that this will be an important first step in regenerating North Road.

Anyone wishing to respond to the consultation can do so here:
https://publicaccess.durham.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?keyVal=Q878RTGDGSU00&activeTab=summary

Find the Parish Council’s response to this planning application here:
DM/20/00912/FPA: Demolition of bus station and erection of a replacement including office space, Bus Station, North Road, Durham City DH1 4SG

Parish Council responds to Aykley Heads consultation

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Durham County Council is currently consulting residents, businesses and interested local groups on the redevelopment of Aykley Heads. The County Council is inviting comments from the public prior to the submission of the planning application.

The County Council is proposing the submission of a hybrid application which comprises a detailed application for office use on Plot C and an outline application for phases one and two of Aykley Heads.

Further details of the consultation can be found here:
https://www.durham.gov.uk/article/22935/Aykley-Heads-update

A copy of the City of Durham Parish Council’s response to this consultation can be found here:
Parish Council response to Aykley Heads consultation

Anyone wishing to submit a representation on this important consultation can do so by e-mailing: aykleyheads@durham.gov.uk

Parish Council commends County Council for its Covid-19 response

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The City of Durham Parish Council has written to the Chief Executive of Durham County Council to thank officers at the County Council who are on the frontline in responding to the Covid-19 pandemic. Along with our wonderful NHS staff, other emergency services personnel, key workers and an incredible team of volunteers, officers at the County Council are putting themselves at risk to support the local residents, businesses etc under immense pressure. Find our letter here:

CoDPC Letter to Terry Collins re Covid-19

Support services available during the Covid-19 pandemic

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A helpline, webpage and support network have been set up to help people in County Durham who are struggling during the Coronavirus pandemic. Help is available to local residents for thing such as food shopping, deliveries, general help and guidance, or someone who can listen and support.

People are advised to accept help from friends, family and neighbours where possible, but anyone in need of extra support can find a list of local groups on the council’s website http://www.durhamlocate.org.uk or fill in our Coronavirus help form at http://www.durham.gov.uk/covid19help

Alternatively, help can be accessed by emailing help@durham.gov.uk or calling 03000 260 260.

Anyone wishing to volunteer to support local residents can also sign up to do so via the Royal Voluntary Service here: https://www.royalvoluntaryservice.org.uk

The Parish Council has also created a helpful list of contacts of support services and local retailers offering food deliveries, etc. This can be found here: Key contacts during Covid-19 outbreak

Residents are asked to continue to follow Government and NHS advice during this pandemic and to seek support where needed.

Parish Council Working Group responds to County Council consultation on selective licensing scheme

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Durham County Council is currently consulting on introducing a selective licensing scheme on privately rented homes in some areas of the County.

In order to respond to this consultation, the Parish Council established a Working Group which consisted of Members of the Parish Council, a representative of Durham Students Union and a local student landlord. The final response of the Working Group can be found here: CoDPC response – Selective Licensing Scheme

It is unlikely that such a scheme will be introduced in Durham City despite the number of HMOs in our parish. To that end, the Working Group is calling on a separate scheme to be introduced to run alongside the County-wide Selective Licensing Scheme to address the issues we are all aware of with HMOs in our parish.

Anyone wishing to find out more about this consultation can find more details here: https://www.durham.gov.uk/article/22640/Consultation-on-licensing-of-privately-rented-homes-in-some-areas-of-the-county

Please let your views be known on this important consultation by writing to selectivelicensing@durham.gov.uk by 5pm on 24th May 2020.