Latest plans for Mount Oswald development go on public show

3:29pm Friday 21st November 2008

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DEVELOPERS have been trying to win residents over to their plans for a £75m business park.

Banks Developments put its plans to build offices, student accommodation, houses and more on the Mount Oswald golf course, Durham, on public display on Wednesday at the course’s clubhouse.

The Durham Park scheme is Banks’ second proposal for the 98-acre site, a £150m business park plan having been rejected by councillors earlier this year.

Many people living nearby remain opposed to the plans.

John Lucey said Banks’ claim that just 15 per cent of the land would be developed was misleading, and a more realistic figure would be 61 per cent.

He said: “I would advocate that the developers have not really changed the plans and are still proposing to develop an area that is considerably larger than (proposed) in the City of Durham Local Plan 2004.”

John Ruddick, Banks’ project manager for Durham Park, said the 15 per cent figure had been calculated using accepted methods.

“We’ve had a mixed response.

There’s still a concern with highways and traffic in the mornings.

“We’ve had one or two who aren’t happy with the development in principle.

“We’re aware there’s an issue with highways but we’re trying to come up with ways to combat that.”

The Durham Park scheme includes up to 18,600sq metres of office space, residential halls for hundreds of students, an inn with up to 40 bedrooms, a convenience store, 12 homes each worth at least £1m, parkland and wetland.

It could create up to 1,000 jobs.

An outline planning application was submitted to Durham City Council last month. A decision is unlikely to be taken before April.

A separate application to turn Mount Oswald Manor into apartments for the over- 55s could be made further down the line.