Consett's regeneration

People in Consett are being invited to help shape the town’s future development.

The Council is working with a team led by the planning, development and regeneration experts GVA Grimley, to develop a comprehensive master plan for Consett – and local people are being urged to get involved.

The master plan will focus on the town centre but will also address links with key surrounding areas, such as the Genesis and Belle Vue sites. This opportunity to shape the future development of Consett town centre recognises the important role the town has to play in the ongoing regeneration of County Durham.

As part of the development of the master plan a series of major public consultation exercises are being planned to ensure that local people can help to shape the proposals for Consett. This will include work that Groundwork North East will carry out with the community looking at the design of enhanced public green spaces and children’s play areas.

Within Consett, the Council has embarked on a number of high profile regeneration initiatives to meet the aspirations of local residents, attract new businesses, and thus secure future employment opportunities. The planned investment in education and leisure offers an opportunity that has not been evident in Consett for over 25 years and it will benefit the local community in future.

Over the next few years, we will see the building of a new academy which will open in early 2013. It will include the retention of an enhanced public open space, with associated facilities on-site. Part of this development is a planned leisure facility.

Currently, our consultants PMPGenesis, are carrying out a consultation to find out local people’s views on local leisure provision. Feedback will be used when developing final plans for this facility. If you want to share your views on the PMPGenesis survey.

You might have to look down a list to find the specific survey that refers to Consett.

A leaflet containing the survey, which can be returned to a freepost address, will also be circulated to 16,000 homes in Consett with the December/January issue of Durham County News from November 24 2009.

From November 30 there will also be touch screen computers in each of the four existing leisure facilities in the town – the swimming pool, leisure centre and sports facilities within two secondary schools.

These screens will give people using the leisure facilities the chance to respond to the survey during their visit. The screens will be in place for two weeks until December 14.

Additional consultation will also be taking place with local sports clubs and other user groups during December. The deadline for responses to the leisure consultation is Monday, December 14.

The information provided in the consultation feedback will be used to draw up initial design ideas for the new leisure facilities and people will be given the chance to comment on these ideas in February next year.

News

Artist's Impression of developments at site

From 7 December people in Consett will have the chance to see outline plans for the Belle Vue site, including proposals for the town’s new academy and leisure facilities.

The plans will be on display at Consett Community Sports College and at Consett Library from until next Monday 14 December. See bottom of page for informative downloads on the existing and proposed site lay-outs, in addition to a set of artist's impressions.

Academy proposals get government backing (29 January 2010)

Consett masterplan consultation (26 January 2010)

Academy planning applications submitted (24 December 2009)

Cabinet asked to approve next steps in Consett plans (8 December 2009)

Consett Academy Court ruling (2 December 2009)

Chance to shape the transformation of Consett (19 November 2009)