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Durham park and ride facilities expansion on cards with £175k investment

Planning permission has been submitted to expand one of Durham City’s biggest park and ride facilities.

The Howlands park and ride site, located on the southern reaches of the city, could be expanded by 71 extra spaces as part of £175k-worth of work if planning permission is approved.

The Banks Group, who are overseeing the project, have worked on the proposals in consultation with Durham County Council and local transport providers, and hope to have approval in place by the Autumn ahead of a three-month build completed by early 2017.

It forms part of the £4.2m Banks investment in the Mount Oswald scheme which will see a range of improvement projects in the area, including a £2m contribution to the county council for off-site affordable housing and £250k towards a new community centre.

Almost half of the 60 planned homes at the Mount Oswald site have been built by housebuilder David Wilson Homes as part of the project’s first phase, and the expanded Rowland’s facilities will attempt to increase park and ride capacity as a result of the development.

John Ruddick, senior property development manager at The Banks Group, commented: “As part of the planning permission for Mount Oswald, it was agreed that these improvements at Howlands would be put in place when the 100th home was built on the site, but while we’re currently still some way off reaching this point, we decided to get things moving earlier than this to ensure the facilities are in place in good time.

“Careful transport planning for both the site and the wider local area was a central part of the development of the wider Mount Oswald scheme, and having a travel plan coordinator in place to translate the agreed ideas into practical action is giving it real momentum.

“The new spaces at the Howlands park & ride will increase the parking options available to people working in or visiting Durham City, and will help to further reduce the traffic that enters the city.”

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