Bishop Auckland Conservation Area Management Plan

This is the second and final opportunity to have your say on changes to the Bishop Auckland Conservation Area Management Plan (CAMP), including proposed changes to the conservation area boundary and an updated Character Appraisal and Management Strategy.

The first phase of consultation took place in Summer 2024 and you can view the full details of this phase at: Bishop Auckland Conservation Area Management Plan - Phase 1.

Conservation areas

A conservation area is defined by the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as an "area of special architectural or historic interest the character or appearance of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance". When an area is designated as a conservation area it recognises the quality of a place as a whole which comes from the combination of individual buildings, streets, green spaces, trees and other features. 

In County Durham, we are passionate about conserving our heritage and have 93 conservation areas across the county. The Bishop Auckland Conservation Area takes in a wide range of architecturally and historically important structures including Auckland Castle, the Town Hall, St Anne's Church, Newton Cap Viaduct, Skirlaw Bridge, and Gaunless Bridge. Having conservation area status and an associated management plan means we can bring partners together to preserve historic features and manage the regeneration of the town in a controlled and sympathetic way, to help it thrive, and protect it for future generations.

Phase 2 consultation

Following your feedback from phase 1, there have been some minor amends to the CAMP documents including some changes to the proposed conservation area boundaries. We would also like your views on the need for an Article 4 Direction which could help protect the character and appearance of the area.

Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan documents

We have made some changes to the CAMP document to make it more concise in parts, easier to navigate, and clearer to read with clarification of various issues. We have removed some areas of repetition, edited, and reduced some of the text, and added in more context around the conservation area.

Conservation area boundary

The proposed changes to the boundary, as laid out in Phase 1, are as follows:

• the addition of the Railway Street Industrial Area including Peel Street, Chester Street and Railway Street
• the addition of number 60 and 58 Etherley Lane

The following amendments have been made to the conservation area boundary since phase 1:

• Bishopsgate Lodge Nursing Home on Hexham Street and West Road has been added back in to the boundary. Concerns were expressed regarding loss of control over development should the building be removed from the conservation area.
• The boundary along Westgate Road where it currently cuts through plots and some buildings (including the listed former Co-op) has been extended out to the back of the pavement to protect the historic plot development pattern in the same way as it already does on the opposite side of Newgate Street (where it stretches back to Kingsway) and on High Bondgate (where it stretches back to Clayton Street).

Article 4 Directions

Being in a conservation area means that special planning controls (called Article 4 Directions) can be used to protect the special characteristics of an area which the community value and wish to see preserved. 

These measures allow the local planning authority to control changes that can normally be undertaken without planning permission and can adversely affect the character and appearance of an area. Such directions do affect property rights and can incur fees to secure planning permission but have been used to good effect in many other conservation areas.

There are no Article 4 Directions in Bishop Auckland at present. In this phase we are asking you whether we should consider introducing an Article 4 Direction to protect the conservation area's special character, appearance and the features that are locally valued.

The closing date for comments is Monday 15 September 2025.