The County Planning Committee of Durham County Council met on Wednesday 29 July 2026 to discuss several planning applications. The committee approved the erection of 93 dwellings in Great Lumley, refused the installation of a wind turbine near Bowburn, and approved the installation of a solar farm near Blackhall Rocks.

Great Lumley Housing Development Approved

The committee approved plans for 93 new dwellings on land north of George Pit Lane, Great Lumley. This decision was made despite acknowledging conflicts with the County Durham Plan regarding visual relationship to the settlement and design standards, citing the council's inability to demonstrate a five-year housing land supply as a key material consideration. The approval is subject to a Section 106 legal agreement to secure affordable housing, contributions towards local infrastructure including education and healthcare, and off-site mitigation for farmland birds.

The development, proposed by Bellway Homes Limited (North East), will include a mix of two to five-bedroom houses and ten bungalows, with 14 affordable homes. Concerns raised by residents and the parish council regarding highway safety, visual impact, and strain on local services were addressed through proposed off-site highway improvements and financial contributions. The previous application for a larger development on this site was refused and dismissed at appeal, but the current proposal was recommended for approval by officers due to a reduced scale, improved mitigation measures, and the council's current housing land supply position.

Wind Turbine Refused

Plans for a single wind turbine, up to 125 metres in height, at Amazon's Integra 61 distribution centre near Bowburn were refused. The committee cited four main reasons for refusal: harm to the Outstanding Universal Value and setting of the Durham Castle and Cathedral World Heritage Site, harm to the setting of the Durham City Centre Conservation Area, an overbearing visual intrusion on the residential amenity of Cornforth Moor Farm Cottage, and failure to meet the required topple distance to the A688, potentially compromising highway safety.

Despite acknowledging the benefits of renewable energy generation and Amazon's commitment to sustainability, the committee determined that the identified harms, particularly to heritage assets, outweighed these benefits. Objectors had raised significant concerns about visual impact, noise, shadow flicker, and the turbine's proximity to residential properties and heritage sites.

Solar Farm Approved

The committee approved the installation of a solar farm and battery energy storage system on land east, south, and west of Benridge Farm, Blackhall Rocks. The development, proposed by Grupotec Solar Uk 8 Limited, will have an export capacity of approximately 48MW and a co-located battery storage system of 12MW, for a temporary period of 40 years.

While acknowledging moderate adverse landscape and visual impacts, and some harm to residential amenity and the setting of a listed building, the committee concluded that these were outweighed by the significant benefits of renewable energy generation and policy support for low-carbon infrastructure. Conditions and a Section 106 agreement will secure biodiversity net gain, fire safety management, construction management, and land restoration. Concerns raised by residents regarding cumulative impacts, agricultural land loss, and safety were considered, but the committee found that the benefits of the scheme, including economic contributions and energy security, were sufficient to justify approval. The development will also include measures to mitigate impacts on public rights of way and wildlife.