THE FUTURE OF
PRINCE BISHOPS PLACE
Planning Submitted
We are pleased to share our planning application for the redevelopment of Prince Bishops Place has been submitted.
Details of the plans can be viewed on Durham County Council's website, and we welcome any comments about the proposed scheme.
The redevelopment looks to accommodate a mix of new and existing uses that complement and sustain each other. The proposed plans will allow Prince Bishops Place to evolve and grow with an ever changing retail environment.
The proposed scheme will see the partial demolition of the existing shopping centre at levels 5 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 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 and independent retailers and leisure operators. The proposed redevelopment will broaden the mix of uses across the scheme in order to ensure its long-term viability and complement the offer across the rest of the City Centre.
Key attributes of the scheme include:
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Once completed, the proposed development will incorporate a total of 30 units providing a range of retail opportunities. The commercial units will be located on and accessed from High Street. Service access for the commercial units will be via a series of shared servicing cores which go down to the service yard
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A new hotel will be located within existing commercial floorspace above the Boots store on Market Place and within new floorspace created at Levels 6, 7 and 8 to the rear of Boots. The hotel will feature up to 101 bedrooms, including a lobby space at the entrance from Market Place. Servicing access is provided directly to the service yard via the basement.
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A purpose-built student accommodation will support Durham’s thriving student community. Located within newly-constructed or converted space above the commercial units and multistorey car park at Levels 6, 7 and 8, the proposed accommodation will comprise of up to 408 units (approximately 358 studios, 50 cluster).
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The multi-storey car park (from levels 1 to 4, i.e. below mall level) will be retained, with a slight reduction from 401 spaces to 392 spaces to allow for the inclusion of 22 accessible and 6 electric vehicle spaces.
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Cycle parking will also be provided to support more sustainable modes of transport in the city, with a total of 144 cycle parking spaces, including 120 storage spaces on Level 1 of the multistorey car park and 24 short stay stands of the Leazes Road entrance to the multistorey car park.
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The provision of new pedestrian accesses and a link bridge provide a number of connections through the site.
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New hard and soft landscaping will transform Prince Bishops Place, featuring a new external public square for exhibitions and events overlooking the River Wear and Old Elvet Bridge. This new square will open up views of the City the public have never previously been able to see, providing fantastic opportunities to extend Prince Bishops Place’s events and seasonal activities programme for the local and visiting community.
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A series of planed ‘green walls’ will transform the appearance of the existing stair tower facing the River Wear. All other retained external elevations will be revisited and refreshed to complement the redeveloped of the upper floors and better assimilate with its surroundings.
