Common land application CL29 - proposed deregistration of common land at The Sands Common, Durham City

Information about the request to deregister The Sands Common.

What have we done

We have applied, as owner, to the Secretary of State under section 16(1) of the Commons Act 2006 for "the Release Land" (land presently registered as common land) to be deregistered. We are offering an alternative area of land ("the Replacement Land") be registered as common land in place of the Release Land.

This Release Land is shown edged and striped red on the plan. The Replacement Land is to the east of the Rivergreen Centre, Aykley Heads and is shown edged and striped light green on the Plan. Both the Release Land and the Replacement Land are owned by us.

Icon for pdf The Sands - map of sites (PDF, 1.7mb)

The application

We are legally required to make these documents available for inspection, but as some of them are supplied by the public, they may not be accessible. If, for any reason, you cannot access the documents and need an alternative format, or want to request any documents referred to in the Index, please email commonland@durham.gov.uk.

The purpose of this application is to free up the Release Land for redevelopment in connection with our new headquarters (HQ). It is anticipated that the Release Land will be used as a car park for the new HQ building and will also house a water storage tank for the building's sprinkler system. It is also of note that this application would regularise the use to which the Release Land has been put over many years which is unauthorised in common land terms.

Icon for pdf Application Notice CL29 - Proposed deregistration of common land at The Sands Common, Durham City (PDF, 99.0kb)

The inquiry

The Secretary of State appointed a planning inspector to hold a public inquiry. This took place on various dates between 27 April 2021 and 7 July 2021.