7 Atherton Street Durham DH1 4DJ Data via plota.co.uk
Proposal
Change of use from office to purpose built student accommodation (Sui Generis), commercial space (Class E) and external alterations to building Data via plota.co.uk
Application progress
Approved on 16 Apr 2026 · Central East Planning Committee · Last checked 10 Oct 2026
Planning committee
Decided by Durham Area Planning Committee (Central and East) on 7 Apr 2026.
Approved
As officers recommended.
- Officers advised approval because the scheme would meet an identified accommodation need, improve the vacant building and avoid significant adverse impacts.
- Two organisations objected over office-space loss, student-accommodation need, high HMO concentration, roof dormers and public access.
- Members approved the application with amended conditions and a deleted condition, subject to the legal agreement.
Source: Plota analysis of Durham's committee minutes of 7 Apr 2026.
Documents 19
Statements & assessments 1
Plans & drawings 1
Application forms 1
Consultation & comments 11
Other documents 5
Associated applications 8
Site constraints 7
Checked on 10 October 2026. Historic England, the Environment Agency, Natural England, the Mining Remediation Authority, 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
From the energy performance certificate lodged in September 2021, the latest held for this property. The building may have changed since. View the certificate
Every application in Durham - and every UK council - as a live feed, an API, or a bulk CSV export.
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Important details
- Council
- Durham
- Application type
- Full Planning Application
- Postcode
- DH1 4DJ
- Received
- 8 Oct 2025
- Validated
- 9 Oct 2025
- Ward
- Elvet, Gilesgate And Shincliffe
- Parish
- City Of Durham
- Case officer
- Show
- Target decision
- 16 Apr 2026
- Decision
- S106+Approved BNG Not Required
- Decision date
- 16 Apr 2026
- Decision level
- Central East Planning Committee
- Applicant
- Show
- Agent
- Lichfields
How this decision compares
Decided in 189 days from validation, 133 days slower than Durham's median of 56 for full applications. Approved, as 95% of full applications here are.
Plota live figures for full applications decided by Durham in the last twelve months, from validation. Durham decision record →
Public comments
75 neighbours consulted · Last counted 10 Oct 2026
Consultation & key dates
- Alt. reference
- PP-14370778
- Planning Portal ref
- PP-14370778
- Neighbours
- 26 Mar 2026
- Consultation
- 6 Mar 2026
- Comments by
- 20 Mar 2026
- Site or press notice
- 22 Oct 2025
- Statutory expiry
- 8 Jan 2026
- Env. assessment
- No
Historical activity at this location
25 nearby applications on record - archival context, not part of the live application.
Nearby activity
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.
Freehold boundary: © Crown copyright and database rights 2026, HM Land Registry. Polygons © Crown copyright and database rights 2026 Ordnance Survey 100026316. Conditions of use
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.
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7 Atherton Street Durham DH1 4DJ
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