New student accommodation and Asda convenience store set for Durham’s Mount Oswald development
Plans for dozens of new student apartments and a new convenience store at the prestigious Mount Oswald site in Durham City are set to move forward after they received unanimous backing from the members of Durham County Council’s planning committee.
North East employer the Banks Group has worked with leading supermarket Asda to develop plans for a 3,000 sq ft Asda Express convenience store on The Drive, opposite South College and close to the Howlands Park & Ride, which is the retailer’s first store within Durham City.
The plans also included purpose-built student accommodation above the retail space, which has been designed by Newcastle-headquartered GRADONARCHITECTURE and includes a mixture of 93 studio apartments and shared flats.
A planning application was submitted by Banks Property to the County Council late last year – and now, after it received a recommendation for approval from the Council’s expert planning officers, the Council’s planning committee has now been minded to approve it.
John Ruddick, principal development manager at Banks Property, says: “The new student accommodation at Mount Oswald will help to meet a clear local need and will also help to reduce the pressure on the local housing market that is coming from properties being converted into houses of multiple occupation for students to use.
“We always envisaged this part of the Mount Oswald site as being perfect for retail use and had a lot of interest in it from many of the UK’s best-known retailers.
“Asda showed real enthusiasm for opening their first Durham City store at the Mount Oswald site from the off and we’re extremely pleased to be working with such a well-known and respected brand.”
The Banks Group has been progressing its comprehensive development proposals for Mount Oswald since they were first approved by Durham County Council over a decade ago.
Banks’ dedicated regional housebuilding company, Banks Homes, has recently completed work on nine luxury homes in the centre of the Mount Oswald site which comprise Durham City’s most exclusive residential development, Symeon Court.
More than £4.2million will have been allocated by Banks to pay for substantial improvements for the local community by the time of the overall development’s completion.
These include improvements to local highways, contributions to the construction of a new community building at Lowes Barns and the provision of additional classrooms at two local schools, St Oswald’s Church of England and Durham St Margaret’s Primary.
Graham McDarby, managing director at GRADONARCHITECTURE, said: “We are proud to be playing a key role on the Mount Oswald site. Currently working with Banks on several projects, this project showcases our architecture and experience in this sector and demonstrates our commitment to the region and our North East heritage, in addition to the range of diverse overseas projects we are currently working on.
“This plot responds positively to the adopted Mount Oswald Durham Masterplan and provides a strong, high-quality gateway to the overall development, despite challenging topographical and ecological factors.
“With over 16 years of industry experience in a range of sectors, the last few years have proved challenging for many businesses, including our own. This project has been in the making for over three years and it is now extremely satisfying to see it coming to fruition, testament to the resilience of our own business and that of Banks. We now look forward to seeing the project become reality on site.”