Durham City infrastructure

Durham is a historic city, and home to the World Heritage site, Durham Castle and Cathedral, which dates back to the late 11th and early 12th centuries. 

What work will be completed

Claypath

A stretch of footpath has been refurbished from the bottom of Claypath up to the junction at Providence Row. 

Claypath was the only medieval street to enter Durham's peninsula without crossing the Wear and it was the main entry to the city from the east. It is now a busy street with student accommodation and home to several businesses.

It was essential to preserve the heritage of the street while balancing the needs of its residents. 

The work included:

• relaying existing flags
• repointing and cleaning existing flags to maintain original materials to preserve the heritage 

Durham Market Place and Magdalene Steps

A specialist cleaning team will be working on a floorspace cleaning project to clean pavements in Durham Market Place and Magdalen Steps. 

Durham Market Place is a bustling and busy hub, with a high footfall of shoppers and people visiting Durham for both business and leisure. It is also home to weekly markets and regular large-scale events.

Magdalene Steps is a busy thoroughfare, at the junction of Elvet Bridge and Saddler Street. 

Due to the high volumes of traffic in these areas, the appearance of the Market Place and Magdalene Steps can suffer so we have appointed a specialist cleaning team to undertake  regular cleaning to ensure these public spaces are kept clean and attractive for locals and visitors.

Old Elvet Bridge

Specialist cleaning teams used pressure washers to keep Old Elvet Bridge looking clean and tidy. Divers also tackled the debris collecting under the arches of the bridge,  removing shrubs and trees, to keep it clear for rowers using the river.

Framwellgate Weir

September 2022

In September 2022, work was carried out to remove debris from the main weir in Durham City. Having received a licence from Natural England to carry out the works, we began clearing Framwellgate Weir of trees and shrubs. Natural England's approval was required to ensure the protection of the natural habitat of an otter using the weir.

After constructing an alternative resting place for the otter, a specialist team started to clear the weir, which was heavily affected by fallen trees and branches following previous storms.

February 2023

Our continued commitment to keep the Weir clean can be seen in the photos below, where we carried out an inspection following a flood and arranged a further clean-up operation to minimise the collection of debris.