A DATE has been set for a public inquiry into controversial plans to de-register an area of common land at the Sands in Durham.

Durham County Council applied to the Planning Inspectorate in 2019 to de-register the coach park so it could create car parking spaces to support its new £50m headquarters.

Initially, the Planning Inspectorate was satisfied it could determine the application without a public inquiry or hearing.

But after Durham City Freeman and the City of Durham Parish Council made legal representations, the Planning Inspectorate decided a full public inquiry was necessary.

The hearing will be held on April 27.

Parish council chairwoman Councillor Elizabeth Scott said: “We are delighted to hear that there is now going to be a public inquiry into the de-registration of the common land at the Sands and are looking forward to putting our case to the Planning Inspectorate.

“The county council’s application to have the land de-registered has been extremely contentious, of more than local significance and has attracted widespread objections.

“The loss of the coach park is going to mean an economic loss and the loss of an amenity to the city.

“My view is that the coach park is exceptionally well used and well-need recourse for the city, and for the county council to take that away is absolutely disgraceful.

“It is a unnecessary addition to the new headquarters. It doesn’t need to be there. They are tying all of this

up with their county hall development. Well, the two things are completely unrelated.

“We look forward to putting our case to the Planning Inspectorate.”

The county council has argued the existing coach part use was unauthorised in common land terms.

Susan Robinson, the county council’s head of corporate property and land, said: “We are aware of the Planning Inspectorate’s decision and we will be supporting the public inquiry when it is held.

“As part of this planning inquiry process we will set out why the county council thinks it is reasonable to de-register this land, which has served as a coach park since the mid-1990s, and replace it with a larger site near the Rivergreen Centre in Durham.”