Mark Rowney
Photo: Durham

Durham planning committee

Councillor Mark Rowney

Member, Area Planning Committee (South and West)

Seen at planning committee in September 2026

  • 1 of 1meeting attended
  • 1agreed, no vote against recorded
  • 1decisions at their meetings

Councillor's page on the council's website

As at 17 September 2026, according to Plota’s analysis of Durham’s published minutes, Councillor Mark Rowney attended one planning committee meeting, in September 2026. On 1 other decision the minutes record no vote against, so Rowney is counted as agreeing; it is left out of the shares below.

Meetings attended
1 of 1
Too few meetings for a percentage.Meetings whose minutes list them as present, sending apologies or absent. Minutes that list only those present cannot show an absence.
Decisions at their meetings
1
Applications decided at the meetings they sat on, as the minutes record them.
Agreed, no vote against recorded
1
Decisions the minutes record with no vote against and no count. Counted as agreeing, and left out of the shares.
Declared interests
0
Decisions on which the minutes record them declaring an interest.

Voting record

The minutes we hold do not give each member's vote at these meetings, so no vote is counted for Rowney and no voting chart is drawn.

Attendance

1 of 1

1 of 1 meeting whose minutes list them.

The typical member of this committee attended 86% (the median of 31 members listed at 5 or more meetings).

Every meeting

Each square is a meeting whose minutes list them, oldest first.

Present
2026

Area Planning Committee (South and West): 1 meeting

Show as a table
Every meeting
DateCommitteeAttendance
17 Sep 2026Area Planning Committee (South and West)Present

Decisions

Every application decided at a meeting they sat on, newest first, with their vote where the minutes give it.

Their vote
Outcome

In the minutes

What the minutes record Rowney moving, seconding, asking or saying on each decision, in the minutes’ own words. Passages that name more than one councillor, or a member of the public, are left out.

Subjects in what the minutes record

  • Asked about highway safety
    “Councillor M Rowney asked as regards as similar issue, that of mud and debris being deposited on the highways near to the site from work vehicles.”
    Minutes, 17 Sep 2026, Land at Kitchen Avenue, Bishop Auckland
  • Spoke on trees and wildlife
    “Councillor M Rowney noted he felt good landscaping, including tree planting was an essential part of any such development and that the correct species of trees should be used for each area as appropriate, asking whether it was appropriate for Committee to direct as regards specific species.”
    Minutes, 17 Sep 2026, Land at Kitchen Avenue, Bishop Auckland
  • Asked about affordable housing
    “Councillor M Rowney asked as regards the percentage of affordable homes for the development.”
    Minutes, 17 Sep 2026, Land at Kitchen Avenue, Bishop Auckland
  • Asked about affordable housing
    “Councillor M Rowney asked what house type was being offered as affordable.”
    Minutes, 17 Sep 2026, Land at Kitchen Avenue, Bishop Auckland
  • Asked a question
    “Councillor M Rowney asked whether there were criteria to prevent people purchasing the property at discount market sale, then selling the property at a profit.”
    Minutes, 17 Sep 2026, Land at Kitchen Avenue, Bishop Auckland
  • Asked about affordable housing
    “Councillor M Rowney asked as regards any potential for the Council to hold on to any of the properties for their use as social housing, the Chair noted that Councillor M Rowney may wish to speak to Members of Cabinet as regards the matter, adding the previous administration had tried to buy and build additional Council properties.”
    Minutes, 17 Sep 2026, Land at Kitchen Avenue, Bishop Auckland
  • Spoke
    “Councillor Rowney, Local Member, addressed the Committee in objection to the proposal confirming that substantial numbers of residents across the area opposed the development. They considered that communities were becoming increasingly surrounded by industrial-scale infrastructure.”
    Minutes, 8 Jul 2026, Land East Of Carrs Farm South Hetton
  • Spoke
    “Councillor Rowney noted the lack of regulations for the proposed technology and had a number of questions relating to fire safety and emergency response planning. He queried the impact of a fire and asked whether assessments had been undertaken.”
    Minutes, 8 Jul 2026, Land East Of Carrs Farm South Hetton

How this is worked out

Everything here is read from Durham’s published planning committee minutes, 34 meetings from September 2025 to September 2026. A councillor is matched across meetings by the council’s own member number where it has one, otherwise by full name.

Each vote shows how it is known. Named in the minutes: the minutes, or the council’s own recorded vote, list each member with their vote. From the count and the names: the minutes give the numbers and name the members in the minority, and every member present is known. All members present in favour: the minutes say every member voted for it and the members present are known. No vote against recorded: the minutes record the decision with no vote against, no abstention and no count, at a council whose minutes print a divided vote when there is one, so each member present is counted for. Unanimous vote: the minutes call the decision unanimous, or give a count with no one against and no one abstaining, and each member present is counted for. From the meeting recording: the vote was heard on the council’s recording of the meeting and closes exactly with the members present. Where none of these holds, the vote is left as “Not recorded” and is not counted.

Votes are on the resolution the committee passed, so a vote for is a vote with the majority. A vote is a decision on the application in front of the committee, not a statement of the councillor’s views. A percentage is shown only with five or more votes, decisions or meetings behind it.

Source: Plota analysis of the council’s minutes. The party is from the council’s own list of councillors.

Also on this committee

All Durham committee councillors