This genesis of this list is content produced during the development of the Durham City Neighbourhood Plan (dated September 2019, and in the case of green and dark corridors August 2020). This list is in the process of being updated. Please add a comment to this webpage (form at bottom of page) if you have information to change or delete items in the tables, or if you have new information to add. These amendments will then be added to the tables on the webpage.
Green Belt
Notes / comments
Aykley Heads, Sidegate, Franklands Lane
Maiden Castle
Land south of the A177
Land west of the A167
Common Land
Notes / comments
The Sands
Aykley Heads (part)
Replacement land for loss of part of the Sands Common land
Flass Vale (part) (Local Green Space
Gilesgate Green (land surrounding the public well of St Giles)
To check precise location (OS E 428600, W 542600)
Local Green Space (LGS)
Notes / comments
The River Wear corridor in the areas of the Peninsular Woodlands, the Racecourse and the Sands
Observatory Hill (including 2 fields on the other side of Potters Bank)
Bow Cemetery
Clay Lane
Flass Vale and North End allotments
St Margaret’s Cemetery and allotments
Durham Light Infantry (DLI) grounds
Maiden Castle Wood, Great High Wood, Hollinside Wood, and Blaid’s Wood
Neville’s Cross Battlefield
Agricultural Land
Notes / comments
Arbour House Farm
Baxter Wood Farm
Elvet Moor Farm
Farewellhall Farms
Frankland Farm (part in Our Neighbourhood)
Houghall Farm at East Durham College’s Houghall Campus
Fields: Merryoaks, Mountjoy, Potters Bank, Whinney Hill
Observatory Hill (part of the Local Green Space)
Ploughed and sown with wild flower seeds Spring 2022
Allotments and Community Gardens
Notes / comments
Crossgate Community Garden, Laburnum Avenue
Green Lane allotments
May Street allotments
To check
North End allotments
St Margaret’s allotments, Margery Lane (part of Local Green Space)
Wharton Park Community Garden
Parks, Gardens and Woods
Notes / comments
Botanic Gardens, Durham University, South Road
The Houghall Arboretum and Pinetum, East Durham College, Houghall Campus
No longer supported, no public access
Crook Hall Gardens
Now National Trust
Linear Park, Mount Oswald
Low Burnhall, Woodland Trust wood
Peninsular Woodlands
Riverbanks Gardens
Heritage Walks in the peninsular area: Castle walks (Motte and moat walk, North Terrace walk, Bishops walk), Prebends Walk, Hatfield Walk, Principals Walk, The 18thC landscaping of the Prebends Bridge approaches and quarry walks on the outer banks
Submitted to DCC’s Heritage Assets Listing project
Wharton Park
Open Green Spaces
Notes / comments
Aykley Heads
Bowling Green (now unused), Elvet Waterside
Gilesgate Green (part is Common Land)
Hollow Drift (field adjacent to Durham City Rugby Club ground)
Observatory Hill (part of Local Green Space)
Peskies Park
Improvement plans
Banks Playing Field, Sheraton Park
Improvement plans
Ustinov College, Sheraton Park
The College
The riverbanks (the parts of the riverbanks that are not just pavements)
Roundabouts, e.g. Gilesgate Roundabout
The Sands
Urban Open Spaces
Notes / comments
Fowler’s Yard
High Street
Market Place
Millennium Place
Palace Green (with some characteristics of an open green space)
Submitted to DCC’s Heritage Asset Listing Project
The riverbanks in the City centre (the parts of the riverbanks that are just pavements)
St Cuthbert’s Anglican Church Cemetery, Framwellgate Peth
St Giles Cemetery, Gilesgate
St Margaret’s Cemetery, Margery Lane
St Nicholas’ Cemetery, Providence Row
St Oswald’s Cemetery, Church Street
Stockton Road Cemetery
Green Corridors
Notes / comments
Railway line
River Wear
B6532
Dryburn Road
Dryburn Hill
Southfield Way
Framwellgate Peth (from County Hall roundabout to Sidegate)
Frankland Lane
Sidegate
North Road
Station Approach
A167 (Sniperley Roundabout; Club Lane to Durham Johnson School; Enterprise Care Hile to Clay Lane; Potters Bank traffic lights to River Browney)
Footpath from St Johns Church to Clay Lane (PROW FP11)
Clay Lane (PROW FP15)
Margery Lane
Blind Lane, from Margery Lane to Crossgate Peth (PROW FP16)
Grove Street
Pimlico
South Street (except for the bottom section connecting to Crossgate)
Mill Hill Lane and Footpath (PROW FP17) (from Elvet Hill Road to A167)
Footpath A167 to South Road (A177+ (PROW FP18)
Potters Bank
Durham University Superhighway (section from Physics Department to Botanic Gardens)
Created 2020/21
Elvet Hill Road
Quarry Heads Lane
A177 (Cock of the North Roundabout, South Road, Stockton Road to Shincliffe Bridge) Footpath (PROW FP51) from Stockton Road cemetery to the playground next to St Oswald’s Institute, Church Street
Leazes Road (A690)
Note1: Footpaths and roads that pass through larger areas of green spaces are not included Note2: Housing developments and the grounds of large organisations can have green areas that can function as green corridors, e.g. University Hospital of North Durham, Land Registry, The Downs, schools, University colleges, University Mountjoy site, churches and cemeteries
Dark Corridors
Notes / comments
Franklands Lane and PROW FP118
Footpath around the racecourse playing fields
Part of PROW FP78 running along river banks in Pelaw Woods area
End of Green Lane running along Hollow Drift
Footpaths along the S / SW bank of the River Wear from Baths Bridge around Maiden Castle Wood to the entrance to Houghall Wood (incl PROW FP48, FP41) and around the Graham Sports Centre to Shincliffe Bridge (PROW FP54)
Part of Houghall Lane near Houghall Equine Centre
Railway embankments
Clay Lane Local Green Space (PROW FP15)
Blind Lane, from Margery Lane to Crossgate Peth (PROW FP16)
Footpath from A167 to South Road (PROW FP18)
Unlit large green open spaces:
Hoppers Wood
Aykley Heads (incl the Durham Light Infantry grounds Local Green space)
Wharton Park
Frankland Lane area (incl tracks and footpaths)
The Sands (part of the River Wear corridor Local Green Space)
Pelaw Wood
Racecourse (part of the River Wear corridor Local Green Space)
Whinney Hill
Mount Joy
Houghall Equine Centre and Farm
Maiden Castle Wood, Great High Wood, Hollinside Wood, and Blaid’s Wood
Little High Wood
Botanical Gardens
South Road Cemetery
Burnhall Wood
Woods and fields to West of A167 (incl PROW FP19, tracks around Morehouse Wood, tracks behind Merryoaks estate, Quarry House Lane and PROW FP9, PROW FP10, and track, Club Lane and PROW FP11)
Neville Cross Battlefield Local Green Space
Choristers School sports fields
Observatory Hill Local Green Space
Durham School sports fields
Bow Cemetery Local Green Space
St Margaret’s Cemetery and allotments Local Green Space
Peninsular Riverbanks (unlit except for a short strip of lighting either end of Prebends Bridge and stretching along bank to Fulling Mill (PROW FP61) and from Windy Gap to Framwellgate Bridge (PROW FP62)) (part of the River Wear corridor Local Green Space) Flass Vale and North End allotments Local Green Space
I have just come across this very useful list but am a bit surprised to see this comment re Observatory Hill – Ploughed and sown with wild flower seeds Spring 2022.
That is not very accurate. It should say ‘and sown with a wild bird seed mix – brassicas, linseed and quinoa.’
Here is the full picture, In 2022 one of the 4 fields on Observatory Hill was ploughed, harrowed and sown with a wild bird seed mix called AB9 Winter Bird Food as part of the farmer’s Countryside Stewardship Agreement with Natural England. Patches of brassicas, linseed and quinoa emerged. Also a very thin scattering of red poppies, blue cornflowers, purple fiddleneck, pink fumitory and yellow shepherd’s purse. Also, extensive patches of thistles and pink rosebay willowherb.
The aim was to grow plants which birds feed on over the winter.
If you look at this DCC link here you will see what proper wildflower planting looks like https://durham.gov.uk/wildflowers and that it has very different aims. As DCC states on this link: Not only are the wild flowers eye-catching, they provide a beautiful splash of colour and are a haven for pollinators like bees and butterflies.
I have just come across this very useful list but am a bit surprised to see this comment re Observatory Hill – Ploughed and sown with wild flower seeds Spring 2022.
That is not very accurate. It should say ‘and sown with a wild bird seed mix – brassicas, linseed and quinoa.’
Here is the full picture, In 2022 one of the 4 fields on Observatory Hill was ploughed, harrowed and sown with a wild bird seed mix called AB9 Winter Bird Food as part of the farmer’s Countryside Stewardship Agreement with Natural England. Patches of brassicas, linseed and quinoa emerged. Also a very thin scattering of red poppies, blue cornflowers, purple fiddleneck, pink fumitory and yellow shepherd’s purse. Also, extensive patches of thistles and pink rosebay willowherb.
The aim was to grow plants which birds feed on over the winter.
If you look at this DCC link here you will see what proper wildflower planting looks like https://durham.gov.uk/wildflowers and that it has very different aims. As DCC states on this link: Not only are the wild flowers eye-catching, they provide a beautiful splash of colour and are a haven for pollinators like bees and butterflies.