Shildon Strategic Place Plan
Help shape Shildon town centre's future
We are starting work in Shildon 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 Shildon 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 Shildon to be in the future.
There are no existing ideas in mind, this vision will be directly shaped by the people of Shildon 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.
County Durham has also been identified by The National Lottery Heritage Fund as one of its Heritage Places. Heritage Places is a £200 million initiative aimed at engaging communities and developing partnerships to create possibilities from the heritage in specifically identified areas across the UK. The initiative aims to put heritage at the centre of place based plans to transform local areas, helping to boost local pride and people's connection to their heritage. It will operate across whole places rather than supporting individual projects, encouraging local partners to make heritage at central to their plans to make their local areas better places to live, work and visit and will form part of the work to produce the Shildon and Newton Aycliffe Strategic Place Plans.
See Heritage Fund: Heritage 2033 – our 10-year strategy for more information.
We will use the information gathered from you alongside what we know about the town to develop a draft vision and feed information into the Heritage Place project.
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 Shildon town centre boundary. The map is bounded by Church Street to the East incorporating Robson Street, it is bounded by Dean Close to the North and returns South adjacent to Dean Street, taking in Park View before returning to Church Street. It also includes some of the areas linked to the town centre and which will have an influence on the Vision.
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 Shildon Strategic Place Plan.
Phase five of this consultation closed on 23 November 2025.
For more information contact CED@durham.gov.uk
To have this in a different format contact letstalkcountydurham@durham.gov.uk.
Phases
Understanding your feedback
In phase two, we have been understanding what you have told us
We have gathered your feedback from events, the survey, from schools and community groups and local organisations and employers and cross reference it with data and information we have about the town. We will then develop a draft vision for the town to share with you in the next phase.
What you told us
We engaged with 722 people across a range of demographics:
- 107 survey responses representing residents of Newton Shildon, wider County Durham commuters and businesses
- 179 people during drop-in or on-street engagement
- 341 young people via a school council/pupil voice session
- 18 key stakeholders or partners were interviewed or took part in mini-focus groups
The key findings are based on themed areas of heritage and regeneration; transport; safety and security; housing; education, skills and opportunities; community spirit; and health and wellbeing. These summarise what you told us about the town.
Heritage and regeneration ↘
Strengths
As the first railway town, Shildon’s history and heritage assets are a source of pride and significant opportunity for the town.
Challenges
Locomotion is located outside the town centre, and so the potential investment and tourism opportunities are not fully realised. Additionally, Shildon’s railway heritage often overshadows other important aspects of Shildon’s history, including its mining heritage.
Opportunities
Connecting Locomotion with the town centre and promoting all aspects of Shildon’s heritage across the town will increase pride and draw more visitors into the town centre.
Transport ↘
Strengths
Shildon is walkable, has good cycle networks to Newton Aycliffe, and is well served by the train.
Challenges
Several areas in Shildon are not serviced by public transportation, limiting resident’s connections to other areas of town and the region if they do not own a car. The condition of walkways, including uneven paving stones and a lack of drop kerbs, also limits accessibility in the town.
Opportunities
Improving the coverage and frequency of buses to better support local and regional connectivity. Improve walkways in key priority areas to improve accessibility, especially for those using mobility aids, prams, and cyclists.
Safety and security ↘
Strengths
Shildon has a strong sense of community, and residents, overall, feel safe in the town.
Challenges
Increases in anti-social behaviour, motorbikes, substance use, and other minor crimes has led to greater perceptions that Shildon is not as safe as it used to be.
Opportunities
Increasing police presence and involvement with the local community, CCTV cameras, and greater promotion of successful police interventions can help challenge these narratives that Shildon is unsafe.
Housing ↘
Strengths
Shildon has affordable housing opportunities and a variety of housing options for residents.
Challenges
The quality of housing is a major concern, with many properties being vacant long-term, derelict buildings, and private landlords not maintaining properties.
Opportunities
Targeted regeneration of run-down properties and long-term vacant properties. Seek to hold private landlords to account and support them to maintain and upgrade properties.
Education, skills and work opportunities ↘
Strengths
Shildon has three excellent primary schools that are highly valued by their pupils and the wider community. Local community centres and the library also play a large role in wider skills provision in the community.
Challenges
Shildon does not have a secondary school, which residents feel negatively affects the opportunities and young people’s perception of their future in Shildon.
Opportunities
Exploring the feasibility of reintroducing a secondary school would be supported by the community, as well as improving the pre-primary, and SEN provision available to young people of all ages.
Community spirit ↘
Strengths
The people of Shildon are seen as its key strength, with the town having a very friendly community and strong neighbourhood support networks.
Challenges
There are perceptions the community spirit is declining due to a lack of social spaces and the division between long-term residents, newer residents, and the younger generations.
Opportunities
Reviving and expanding community events and making better uses of shared spaces to bring the community together.
Health and wellbeing ↘
Strengths
The leisure centre, play areas, and community groups are central to supporting the health and wellbeing of Shildon’s residents.
Challenges
Unreliable and poorly connected public transport threatens people’s access to medical appointments and treatment.
Opportunities
There is large demand for a swimming pool among young people and older residents, as well as increasing accessibility to the leisure centre, nutritious food, and activities.
Economy ↘
Strengths
Shildon is home to several independent businesses that are a source of pride for the community. There is a shared ambition for regeneration and to grow sustainable tourism in the town.
Challenges
The high street has been visibly declining, with many empty shops and a lack of essential amenities, including a supermarket in the town. This also contributes to limited local employment.
Opportunities
Support locally owned and independent shops to establish themselves on the high street. Linking the town’s history and heritage from Locomotion to the town centre may increase footfall and dwell times.
Environment ↘
Strengths
Shildon has vast parks and greenspaces, supporting a sense of calm and access to nature in the town.
Challenges
The prevalence of dog poo, litter, and fly tipping was seen as a significant limitation by both young people and older residents.
Opportunities
Support initiatives to increase the number of bins and target the underlying causes of littering.
Our approach for the next stages
We have shared these findings with senior officers across the council to develop a greater understanding of what local residents, organisations and businesses are telling us about the town. We will be setting up a group which will be made up of council officers and local partners to help identify what can be done to improve the area over the next 10 years.
As part of this, a vision for the town will be developed and shared with you for your comments. In addition, we are developing an investment plan.
Upcoming and ongoing events
Past events
Event date: July 17th, 2025 from 12:00 to 16:30.
Shildon Alive!
Event date: June 27th, 2025 from 10:00 to 12:30.
Event date: June 21st, 2025 from 15:00 to 17:00.
Church Street
Event date: June 13th, 2025 from 14:00 to 16:30.
Church Street
Event date: June 13th, 2025 from 10:30 to 13:30.
Jubilee Fields Community Centre