Durham shapes World Heritage Site plan
Forty years after making the list, the city’s UNESCO site – which includes the cathedral and castle – is set to benefit from a new management plan that will influence future planning, development, and investment.
The 2025–2035 World Heritage Site Management Plan, developed collaboratively by Durham Cathedral, Durham University, and The City of Durham Trust, will replace the existing 2017–2023 framework.
Required by UNESCO through the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and Historic England, the plan defines how the site’s ‘Outstanding Universal Value’ will be protected while accommodating sensitive growth and regeneration.
The plan will inform the next County Durham Plan and Durham City Neighbourhood Plan and will sit alongside the forthcoming Durham City Conservation Area Management Plan as key baseline evidence for development management and planning policy decisions.
By linking heritage protection with the county’s wider Economic Strategy, the plan seeks to encourage regeneration, attract investment in cultural infrastructure, and promote sustainable design and construction practices within the historic environment.
Public consultation is now open, and people can have their say here until 4 December.
The final draft of the Durham Castle and Cathedral World Heritage Site Management Plan is expected later this year.
