A major consultation on the County Durham Plan closes next week and people are being urged to make sure they have their say before 8 August. Known as the ‘Issues and Options’ stage, Durham County Council is seeking views on the amount of new development needed for housing, potential job creation and future retail spaces up to the year 2033. The plan will also cover what infrastructure is needed to support these, such as transport, schools and green spaces. The deadline for the consultation – and the Sustainable Transport Strategy consultation – has been extended until 6pm on Monday 8 August. This follows maintenance work to the national Objective IT system over the weekend, where the consultations are published, to ensure no one misses out. The council is asking what your town or village needs to ensure it is successful in the future. As well as how development can be best used to grow the economy of the county and promote tourism. A range of questions is being asked as part of the consultation with people free to answer as many as they feel relevant but also to suggest any other opportunities that they want the council to consider. A number of consultation sessions have been held across the county but people can still respond online at www.durham.gov.uk/CDP. Cllr Neil Foster, Cabinet member for economic regeneration and culture, said: “The County Durham Plan will set the future of our county so it’s vital that everyone lets us know what they think so we can move forward with a plan that helps everyone. “With the plan guiding development of the county to 2033, we need people to let us know what they think of the options we’ve identified, or if there’s anything else that they would like us to consider to make sure it meets the needs of their communities.” Following the closure of the consultation on the Issues and Options, the next stage will see the council use the comments received, alongside evidence, to prepare a preferred option for the County Durham Plan. If agreed by Cabinet, this will be consulted on later in the year.
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