County Durham Plan - Call for Sites
One of the first stages in the process to prepare a new County Durham Plan is to carry out a Call for Sites.
The call for sites closed on Friday 5 September 2025 and we are no longer accepting submissions or comments on submissions received. You can view the sites that have been submitted via the Phase 3 information at the bottom of this page.
Please note that these sites are shown for information purposes only at this stage. They are currently being assessed to determine their suitability, availability, and deliverability. The findings will be published in Spring 2027, alongside consultation on the proposed Local Plan and supporting evidence. The inclusion of a site does not mean it will be allocated in the Local Plan or supported for the proposed development.
County Durham Plan scoping consultation
Alongside the call for sites exercise, we are currently consulting on the County Durham Plan scoping document.
The scoping stage marks the first formal step in preparing the new Local Plan and is the first opportunity for you to have your say on topics and issues which will help shape its foundations. It is your chance to help shape future decisions about housing, jobs, transport, the environment, town centres, and community facilities. This consultation closes on 17 August 2026.
What is a Call for Sites?
This is an opportunity for landowners, developers and other interested parties to suggest sites in the county that may have potential for future development.
Who can get involved?
Anyone can submit a site for consideration including landowners, developers and agents, parish and town councils, local residents, community groups and public sector bodies.
If you know of land that could support future development, we encourage you to take part.
What types of sites are we looking for?
We are interested in a wide range of site types, including:
- land for housing (including affordable or specialist housing)
- employment land (for example offices, industrial, logistics)
- mixed-use developments
- land for renewable energy, community facilities, or green infrastructure
- land for minerals and waste sites
Please note the Call for Sites process is separate to the planning application process. The submission of a site for consideration does not necessarily mean that the site will be taken forward. It is often the case that more sites will be submitted at this stage than are needed to meet the future needs of the area.
What information is required?
Please provide as much detail as possible in your submission, including:
- current land use and ownership
- proposed use(s)
- site constraints or known issues
- availability and timescales for development
Phases
Next steps - analysing the proposed sites
Once the call for sites has closed, we will start work on the process of assessing them. This includes assessing all submitted sites against planning criteria, including suitability, availability, and achievability and seeking advice from both internal and external specialists on a range of matters from flooding and heritage to impact on the local roads, schools and ecology.
If we need any clarification on any matters, or the submission of further information, we will get in touch with the proposer.
We will also:
- Publish a Strategic Housing and Employment Land Availability Assessment (SHELAA) to show which sites have potential for development.
- Use the evidence to help shape the emerging County Durham Plan, including identifying preferred sites for allocation.
Once we’ve completed the initial assessment of submitted sites, we’ll ask for your views on a proposed vision for the area and the possible locations for future development. This will happen during a public consultation in Spring 2027 as part of the next stage of developing the new County Durham Plan.