THE FUTURE OF
PRINCE BISHOPS PLACE
Planning permission was granted in July 2024 for the redevelopment of Prince Bishops Place Shopping Centre in the heart of Durham City.
The approved scheme proposed the partial demolition of the existing shopping centre at levels 5 (mall) and above, with the exception of the service cores, the present ‘Next’ retail unit on the corner of High Street and Market Place, and the two existing three-storey office blocks which terminate onto Saddler Street. The project retained retail and leisure uses at “mall” level with a new public square and above this student housing over 2/3 storeys.
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The scope of the current investment represents a fantastic opportunity both for Prince Bishops Place and Durham City Centre, facilitating the reconfiguration of the high street to better suit the needs of national & independent retailers as well as leisure operators. The proposed redevelopment will broaden the mix of uses across the scheme in order to ensure its long-term viability.
Since obtaining planning permission, Citrus has been working hard with their partners to realise a deliverable scheme and can now proceed with the redevelopment.
We will be hosting a drop-in event in Unit 10 (between Boots Opticians & Clarks) at Prince Bishops Place on 5th February 17:30-20:00 where members of Citrus's project team will be on hand to answer any queries about the revised scheme.
This means a number of minor changes are proposed to the approved scheme, which require a new planning application. In summary, these changes are:
The removal of the hotel, which was constrained by a challenging elongated footprint wrapping around the existing Boots store with little market demand. This would instead be brought forward as additional student accommodation – taking the total number of bedspaces provided to c500;
Following further detailed design work to ensure the scheme is deliverable on instruction from our fire engineers, the green wall proposed to the riverside elevation has been removed due to it being a combustible material. Instead, architectural vertical ‘fins’ will be used to add articulation to the car park façade, whilst ensuring it remains recessive in wider views;​
The Leazes Road elevation will now feature a simplified roof design running parallel with the perimeter of the development, balancing deliverability with an appropriate design for the setting;
Various other small changes are proposed following detailed design; none of which affect the principles or key deliverables of the previous planning permission.
In short, this means the new planning application will still see the delivery of:
· Around 32 commercial units providing a range of retail opportunities, located on the High Street
· Purpose-built student accommodation to support Durham's thriving university community, located within newly constructed or converted space above the retail units and multi-storey car park
· Retained multi storey car park
· A new public square overlooking the River Wear and Elvet Bridge, opening up views of the City never previously seen, and providing fantastic opportunities to extend Prince Bishops Place's events and seasonal activities programme
Plans for the new scheme can be viewed here: Level 5 Plans | Level 6 Plans
The new planning application is likely to be submitted by the end of February ‘26, and determined later this year. Details of the submitted plans will be able to be viewed on Durham County Council's website in due course, and we would welcome any comments about the proposed scheme.
