Crook Strategic Place Plan

Help shape Crook town centre's future

We are starting work in Crook with our partner Urban Foresight to find out your views and ideas about how you would like to see the town develop over the next 10 years.

We want this plan to be developed with our communities, so its important that you tell us what you would like to see for the future.

We want to hear from the people who live and work in Crook to help shape the future of your town. We want to understand your thoughts on its strengths and opportunities, what can be improved and what we’d all like Crook to be in the future.

There are no existing ideas in mind, this vision will be directly shaped by the people of Crook from the very beginning.  

Over the next eight weeks, we will be talking to people in the streets, at transport hubs, bus stops, shopping centres, organising drop-in meetings, listening to children and young people in schools, visiting community meetings and local organisations to find out your thoughts on the town's strengths, opportunities, and challenges, and your hopes for its future. 

About Crook

Crook is a designated market town in the southwest of the county. Despite being one of the smallest towns in County Durham serving a population of only 10,000, Crook acts as a service centre for rural hinterland communities. Historically, Crook dates back to 1795 where it developed as an agricultural village.

Crook is located 10 miles from Durham City and 5 miles from Bishop Auckland and a couple of miles north of the River Wear. The main arterial routes are the A68, which is one of the main routes to the borders and Scotland and the A1(M) and the A690 which links to Durham and Sunderland and the A691 which links to the North Pennines (designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) and Cumbria.

Your Views

We will use the information gathered from you alongside what we know about the town to develop a draft vision.

We will then come back and ask you again what you think about the vision and start to draw up plans to help us get there.

The boundary map shows the Crook Town centre boundary. The area is bounded by the A690, Wheatbottom & East Bridge Street from the east and west road and commercial street from the west. The A689 and New Road from the south and Park Avenue, Hope Street, Church Hill and Low Jobs Hill the north.

It also includes some of the areas linked to the town centre and which will have an influence on the Vision for the town including Crook Community Leisure Centre, St Cuthbert's Centre, Crook AFC Town Football Club, Crook Town Cricket Club and Glenholme Park.

We want to know if you think we have missed any important areas which should be included in the map.

Complete our survey to enter into a free prize draw for a £100 One4All gift card. You will see the terms and conditions and privacy notice at the end of the survey.

Below shows what will happen during the project at each stage, how you can take part in the online surveys and other ways to have your say. The dates for future stages are provision and may change as the project progresses.

For more information visit Crook Strategic Place Plan.

Phase three of this consultation will close on 19 April 2026.

For more information contact CED@durham.gov.uk

To have this in a different format contact letstalkcountydurham@durham.gov.uk.