County Durham Planning & Building
Contacts Directory

Durham Cathedral and Castle (UNESCO World Heritage Site): The Cathedral and Castle peninsula is one of England's outstanding heritage assets. Any development within the WHS boundary or its setting requires careful heritage assessment. Durham City centre has an extensive Conservation Area and a high density of listed buildings - pre-application advice is strongly recommended for any development in or adjacent to the historic core.

Durham County Council is also the Lead Local Flood Authority responsible for surface water and ordinary watercourse flood risk management.

You may also use a Registered Building Control Approver (RBCA) anywhere in the county. For a full list of approved inspectors visit labc.co.uk.

Newcastle office. County Durham includes Durham Cathedral and Castle (UNESCO WHS), the Derwent Valley portion of the Hadrian's Wall WHS corridor, Barnard Castle, Raby Castle, and an exceptional range of industrial archaeology from the world's first railways (Stockton and Darlington Railway heritage) and the coal mining era. The county has a high concentration of scheduled monuments relating to its Roman and medieval past.

Essential for heritage impact assessments and pre-application research. Former coal mining areas may contain unmapped mine entries, shafts, and subsidence-prone ground - always check with the Coal Authority as well as the HER before breaking ground.

Flood Incident Line: 0345 988 1188 (24hr). The River Wear and its tributaries flow through Durham City and much of the county - riverine flood risk is a key consideration for development in valley locations. Former opencasted and deep-mined areas may have unpredictable ground conditions.

Essential for any development in the former Durham coalfield (broadly the eastern half of the county). Request a Development High Risk Area search before committing to a site. Mine entries, old shafts, and methane gas migration are live risks in many areas. Planning applications in high-risk zones require a Mining Risk Assessment.

Build-over agreements required within 3 metres of a public sewer. Check sewer records via the Developer Services portal before finalising site layouts.

Power cuts: 105. Remote upland areas in the Dales (Teesdale, Weardale) may have longer electricity connection lead times - engage Northern Powergrid early for any rural development.

Gas emergency: 0800 111 999. Many rural upland settlements in Weardale and Teesdale have no mains gas - oil, LPG, or heat pumps are the norm. Always check mains gas availability before specifying heating systems in rural locations.

The A66 Trans-Pennine route through Teesdale is subject to a major upgrade programme - check National Highways for current safeguarding zones.

Notify HSE of notifiable construction projects under CDM Regulations at least 2 weeks before work begins.