DETAILS of a new blueprint for County Durham’s future have been delayed for a month - but will be released in time for a consultation in the new year.
Durham County Council says it is still on track to deliver its County Durham Plan to the government by December 2017.
Details of the preferred options had been due to be considered by the authority’s cabinet today (Wednesday, November 16) but councillors heard that they would be released in time for next month’s meeting.
Cllr Neil Foster, the council’s cabinet member for regeneration and economic regeneration, said: “We are working hard to get the plan back on track.
“We did set a challenging target of submitting by the end of 2017 and we are on track for that. The extra month gives us extra time to make sure the consultation is robust.”
A six-week consultation on the preferred options will start on Friday, January 6.
Cllr Foster added: “Starting in the new year provides a more convenient time scale and the start of what we hope will be a great year working for the county.”
The council had to return to the early stages of creating a plan – which will guide development until 2033 – this year after a previous draft was withdrawn following scrutiny from an independent planning inspector.
In 2015, planning inspector Harold Stephens branded the plan “unsound” and said it was over ambitious.
His report was later quashed by the High Court to allow the council to return to an earlier stage of creating the plan.
A consultation was held during the summer asking for the public’s views on the amount of development needed, including housing, job creation, retail and infrastructure.
Four main options were presented, which offered different approaches to how development should be spread around the county.
People were asked whether they would prefer to see growth centred on Durham City, focused on villages in central Durham, spread it out across towns or more widely throughout the whole county.
The preferred option will be revealed next month.
The six-week consultation will start in January before the final draft is submitted to the government at the end of next year.
A further public examination will then take place before it can come into effect.
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