Startforth Parish Council

The draft of Startforth Neighbourhood Plan was initially created as Durham County Council (the Planning Authority) advised us we needed one to protect and control developments in Startforth. At least 20 other Parishes are also creating plans in Durham. Our Plan is far more detailed than the Durham Plan — the Durham Plan contains very little about this part of the County.

Startforth Neighbourhood Plan has to comply with all sorts of guidelines and regulations, and for Startforth it must not sound simply ‘anti-development’ — we have to say what we want to preserve and sell the nature of Startforth as a place that is worth preserving.

Following a formal assessment by Durham County Council,  a 6-week consultation period with residents starts on 13 January 2024.

The Pre-Submission Draft of the Startforth Parish Neighbourhood Plan 2023-20240 (the draft for the 6-week community consultation) is available to download (54MB)  from this website page.

Jim Boaden

Chair, Startforth Neighbourhood Plan Group