Wolsingham School The Grammar School Building West End Wolsingham Bishop Auckland DL13 3DJ Data via plota.co.uk

DM/26/02621/TCA - Trees in a Conservation Area Pending Consideration

Proposal

T505 - Pine - remove dead tree, T507 - Larch - crown lift to 3m, T508 - Larch - crown lift to 5m over road, T509 - Larch - crown lift 5m over road, T510 - Sycamore - remove major deadwood, T517 - Whitebeam - Remove tree stakes, T519 - Ash - remove broken limb, T536 Oak - remove tree, T537 - Oak - remove dead branch, T539 - Oak - remove deadwood, T541 - Oak - remove, T549, T550. T551, T552, T553, T554, T555, Lime - remove tree stakes, T559 Copper Beech - remove deadwood, G2 Ash - remove 1 nr Ash tree with severe Ash dieback - Section 211 notice Data via plota.co.uk

View original council record ↗Last checked

Application progress

✓
Received
29 Sept 2026
✓
Consultation
1 Oct 2026
Decision
Expected by 10 Nov 2026

Under consideration

No decision has been issued yet. Plota predicts a decision between 28 Oct 2026 and 5 Nov 2026, from Durham's recent tree and landscaping works.

Comments are open until 22 Oct 2026

Comment on this application ↗

Site constraints 5

Wolsingham conservation area
Demolition needs planning permission and permitted development is restricted.
The council must give weight to preserving or enhancing the area's character and appearance. Not every council has published its boundaries as open data.
Radon affected area, class 5
An estimated 10 to 30% of homes reach the radon action level. Indicative for the 1 km square, which takes the highest class found in it; a radon test gives the answer for a building.
From the British Geological Survey and UK Health Security Agency indicative atlas. Under building regulations, as the BRE guide BR 211 (2023) sets out, new buildings and extensions need basic radon protection from class 3 in England and Wales and from class 2 in Scotland, and full protection from class 5. The class at the site itself, from the detailed BGS map, decides which.
UKHSA radon ↗
Also on the record
2 listed buildings within 150 m; Inside the Wolsingham built-up area; Natural England's Provisional ALC map (1:250,000, 1970s) had this area as grade 3, but it predates the buildings here and the current map does not class it as farmland.
Not affected
Outside flood zones 2 and 3 · Not green belt · No scheduled monument at the site

Checked on 6 October 2026. Historic England, the Environment Agency, Natural England, the British Geological Survey and UK Health Security Agency (radon, contains BGS materials © UKRI) and council datasets, Open Government Licence. A boundary can run through a site and the council holds the definitive record: confirm with the council before relying on this.

Building

Floor area3,603 m² (38,782 sq ft)
Energy ratingB (asset rating 37)
UseD1 Non-residential Institutions - Education
HeatingHeating and Natural Ventilation

From the energy performance certificate lodged in April 2016, the latest held for this property. The building may have changed since. View the certificate

Work with planning data?

Every application in Durham - and every UK council - as a live feed, an API, or a bulk CSV export.

About Plota's data service

Important details

Council
Durham
Application type
Trees in a Conservation Area
Postcode
DL13 3DJ
Received
29 Sept 2026
Validated
29 Sept 2026
Ward
Weardale
Parish
Wolsingham
Case officer
Show
Target decision
10 Nov 2026
Decision level
Delegated
Applicant
Show
Agent
Batson Groundcare Ltd

Decision outlook

Day 10 of the 56-day target. Durham usually decides tree and landscaping works by day 34.

Day 1046 days to the 56-day target
95%decided within 8 weeks
91%approved
340decided in the last year

Plota live figures for tree and landscaping works decided by Durham in the last twelve months, from validation. Durham decision record →

Public comments

No public comments yet.

Last counted 2 Oct 2026

Read the comments on the council site ↗

Consultation & key dates

Alt. reference
PP-15258052
Planning Portal ref
PP-15258052
Consultation
1 Oct 2026
Comments by
22 Oct 2026
Statutory expiry
10 Nov 2026
Env. assessment
No
Durham
Planning Authority Score
5.2/10
Average
#137 of 296 councils
Relevant to this application:
Other decisions

Durham ranks #190 out of 296 councils for householder decision speed. 48% of applications have the time limit extended, above the 41% national average. Householder applications are more likely to be approved here than most councils, with a 97% approval rate vs 90% nationally.

More permissive than most councils
97% approved vs 90% nationally
These figures are council-wide context, not a prediction for this application. View full council performance
Durham decision statistics
Based on MHCLG data, the year to March 2026
93%
Overall approval rate
Above avg (87%) #52 of 296
97%
Householder approved
Above avg (90%) #29 of 296
59%
Decided in 8 weeks
Below avg (63%) #190 of 296
48%
Extended time limit
Above avg (41%) #213 of 296
79%
Minor dwellings approved
95 decided (1-9 homes)
90%
Major dwellings approved
49 decided (10+ homes)
87%
Change of use approved
201 decided
1,706
Total decisions
113 refused in the year to March 2026

Energy performance: Energy performance certificates from the Energy Performance of Buildings Register, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright 2026.