Planning

Durham County Council hold information about common land and village greens, as well as Local Agenda 21 and listed buildings. It is also the county planning authority for County Durham. In County Durham there are two tiers of local government (the County Council and seven District and Borough Councils) and town and country planning functions are subdivided between them. The District and Borough Councils are responsible for deciding most planning applications in County Durham including those for:

Householder extensions and alterations - see residential planning or building control.
New buildings, extensions or changes of use related to housing, industry, shops, offices etc.

For applications or enquiries relating to the above, you will need to contact the relevant District and Borough Council planning departments.

News

The new national standard planning application form, 1APP, is now available to download from the Planning Development Control website. From 6 April 2008, 1APP will be the only legal way to submit a planning application (except in the case of minerals applications). Please follow this link to take you to the 1APP forms and associated guidance notes.

In association with the 1APP, new information requirements for the validation of planning applications are also being introduced. This includes a National List of mandatory information that will come into effect on 6 April 2008 and a Local List which the planning authority intends to adopt as part of validation requirements. Please follow this link for further information and to view our draft Validation checklist. Should you wish to make any written comments, please do so by 7 March 2008.

Durham County Council is now accepting electronic planning applications made via the Planning Portal for waste and County Council related developments. Please follow this link for further details on submitting a planning application online.

We have just published a copy of our 3rd Minerals & Waste Development Framework Annual Monitoring Report (2006-2007). It is available to view on our Annual Monitoring Report web page.

We have also added for information a copy of our draft Habitats Regulation Assessment Screening Report for our emerging Minerals Core Strategy DPD. Please note this document has been published for information purposes only.

Information about planning policy:

Information about planning development control
Planning Development Control deals with all planning applications for minerals and waste matters and the County Council's own development and the following information:

Online register of planning applications
Submit a planning application online and pay the planning fee online.
Environmental Impact Assessments and other consents.
Planning Committee dates, agendas and reports.
Applying for Planning Permission including guidance on fees.
Information on the planning process and the timescales for determining applications. This section also contains information on how to comment on an application.
Downloadable application forms and certificates.
Appeals information
Monitoring and Enforcement including Reporting Development Problems and the Enforcement Register

Durham County Council also deal with other responsibilities and provide specialist advice. These include:

Conservation - here you will find information on archaeology; nature conservation; the County Durham Biodiversity Action Plan; woodland; coastal protection and the County Durham Heritage Coast; and historic buildings and conservation areas.

Find information about the Durham Landscape, including the County Durham Landscape Character Assessment and emerging Landscape Strategy.

Other planning and environmental websites.

How to Contact the Planning Team

Planning Policy
Tel: 0191 3834114
Email: Planning Policy

Planning Development Control
Tel: 0191 3835698
Email: Development Control