Horden redevelopment plan revealed by Durham County Council

Horden's Third Street could be knocked down and replaced under plans put forward by Durham County Council

Homes could be demolished and residents relocated as part of plans to redevelop a County Durham village.

New community facilities and better-quality housing would be built in Horden as part of an effort to improve the area, Durham County Council said.

It believes the scheme, first announced in 2019, will be a "catalyst" for change.

A public consultation found a majority backed a proposal to purchase and demolish existing properties.

Up to £6m has been committed from the council's budget to develop the first phase of the plan.

However, bids for external funding - including from the government's Levelling-Up Fund - have so far failed.

Properties on the village's Third Street will be acquired and redeveloped first.

Regeneration hope

The council says it had been chosen because it is next to a previously cleared area, owned by the authority, which can be developed.

Councillor James Rowlandson, cabinet member for resources, investment and assets, acknowledged the authority does "not have the funding to redevelop all" the streets it wants to.

But he claimed initial work could "act as a catalyst for the regeneration of the wider area".

"The revitalisation of Third Street could help us attract developers to work with us on the remainder of the numbered streets, and support delivery of our ambitious regeneration plans," he explained.

Some residents in other streets who potentially face moving in later phases of the project have expressed concerns, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Samantha Abrahams moved into Eleventh Street a year ago.

She said: "I had no idea of the plans. We were shocked when we got the leaflet. I moved here from London because I wanted a new life."

A series of drop-in session will be held in the village across the next three weeks, including at the Youth and Community Centre on Tuesday.