I have been informed by the county council that the land next to Priory House off Smithfield in Pity Me (pic above) has been earmarked for sale by the County Council for office development.

Over the last  few years we have had continual problems with parking in this area, and despite a new travel plan for Priory House, parking issues continue with the Abbey Business Centre and the nearby car showrooms.

I am writing to all residents on Smithfield to let them know about this potential change and have already told the County Council that if any such sale goes ahead there must be over provision of parking within both this site and the existing Priory House site as the potential for further parking problems with a new development is just too high for residents to cope with and would be dangerous.

There is also the issue of the loss of a green space which must be considered with this sale, as people do use this area for walking their dogs and it helps to break up what is a well developed area as it is. It may be necessary to offer some alternative recreational facility by way of planning gain if the development was permitted.

If anyone has comments about this potential sale of land they can email andrew.rutter@durham.gov.uk or call him on 0191 383 3902. Please copy me in on any correspondance or simply email me directly.