News-Working together to create local visions across County Durham

We have developed Strategic Place Plans (SPPs) to empower local communities to be at the heart of shaping the futures of their towns and villages.

A pilot phase includes the development of plans for Durham City, Spennymoor, Newton Aycliffe and Shildon, before they are rolled out across the county over the next 14 months.

Durham City SPP 

The development of a Durham City SPP was approved as part of our Inclusive Economic Strategy Report in November 2022, with a programme of works progressing last year to engage residents, stakeholders, students and young people from across the city.

The engagement sessions have helped to develop priority themes for the Durham City vision, for 2035. These include: a friendly city that is welcoming to all; a city gateway to a county filled with culture; a safe, family focussed city centre; and a city centre with thriving independent businesses and world class events.

This vision document will be used to create a comprehensive Durham SPP, including a spatial plan, a study of gaps and capacity in retail and leisure, and an investment plan. A Conservation Area Management Plan will also be included but this is currently subject to a separate consultation exercise.

Helping to revitalise our towns 

Meanwhile, Spennymoor was identified as a SPP pilot after it was selected as part of the government's Long-term Plan for Towns programme.

We've already established a Spennymoor Town Board and consulted with residents, stakeholders and businesses to establish three themes for projects.

These include revitalising the high street and supporting new social and economic development, improving transport to help connect residents with opportunities within and beyond the town, and enhancing safety by tackling anti-social behaviour.

Young people have also been identified as a cross-cutting priority, to ensure the town offers a well-connected, thriving place for future generations to live and work.

The new government is currently finalising a revised prospectus that will outline new priorities for the programme. We will continue to involve the community in the decision-making process to refine the investment proposals, with the main regeneration works expected to begin in 2026/27.

Heritage Places

Shildon and Newton Aycliffe are the other towns identified for a SPP pilot location following their selection by The National Lottery to form part of the first wave of Heritage Places.

The £200 million initiative is aimed at engaging communities and developing partnerships which unlock possibilities from heritage, bringing together cultural, community and civic organisations and using heritage to regenerate areas, making them more sustainable and creating job opportunities.

As one of the first Strategic Heritage Places nationally, the towns are due to receive around £10 million over the next ten years, with a strong focus on children and young people and engaging them as future community leaders.

It is hoped that the programme will help residents feel pride in their heritage connections. Other priorities are for Shildon to be recognised as a World Heritage Site, for young people to be able to access heritage professions and skills, and, for sustainable, heritage-led regeneration to boost the local economy.

Creating better places to live, work and visit

Cllr Elizabeth Scott, Cabinet member for economy and partnerships, said: "We're really pleased that so many people have engaged with us in developing a Strategic Place Plan for these three pilot areas. This has far exceeded engagement levels seen under the previous masterplan process.

"Alongside the development of our Local Networks, which will have four-year plans, the SPPs provide us with a valuable resource to engage with communities and address their priorities. This engagement and partnership work will help to transform Durham City and our towns into better places to live, work and visit, and provide a wider range of opportunities for our residents and young people."

The next phase of work is to start local community and stakeholder engagement to develop shared visions for each of County Durham's 12 towns over the next 14 months.

Cabinet is recommended to note the vision and priority themes for the Durham City SPP, the initial priorities identified through the co-design of the Spennymoor SPP and the identified ambition and heritage priorities for Shildon and Newton Aycliffe.

Members will also be asked to note proposals for the roll-out of the wider SPP development process, in line with the council's Inclusive Economic Strategy and Delivery Plan.