Expansion of Integra 61 site at Bowburn approved by Durham council

Plans for the next phase of the Integra 61 development in Bowburn, County Durham, have been approved by Durham County Council and involve creating up to three million extra square feet of new units.

Citrus Durham, the developer behind the proposal, said the new site could include a mix of storage, distribution and manufacturing uses with some office space, similar to the units on phase one. 

A CGI image of how the new Integra 61 development could look. (Image: Citrus Durham)

The new units will be built behind the Amazon fulfilment centre at the Integra 61 site. Costa and Greggs drive-thru units are also located nearby, while construction is underway on Marton Care’s new 73-bedroom care home facility alongside 260 new homes.

Approval of the latest scheme will also enable the Bowburn Development Route – a bypass road that can be used to access the site. 

But the plans faced significant opposition from residents and local community organisations, with the proposed route due to be built just 10 metres from some gardens.

Lynne Hodgson, whose garden overlooks the proposed route, said: “This development will have an immediate and significant impact on our daily lives.

“The construction of the road will bring substantial noise and visual intrusion. The addition of a four-metre barrier will only intensify that impact. 

“The new road doesn’t solve any of the issues on the A177, it just transfers them.”

Gary Hutchinson, county councillor for Bowburn and Coxhoe, said residents have continually supported the principle of the Bowburn Relief Road, due to the disruption caused by heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) driving along the A177 through the village.

Campaigners against Bowburn road. (Image: Supplied)

He said: “There are homes where residents have had to reinforce their properties because of constant vibrations from passing wagons. 

“But what they supported was a road that relieves the village, and not one that reallocates the problem. It is essential that the road properly connects to the wider network and serves both the north and south industrial estates, allowing HGVs to move from those sites without going through the village.”

An ongoing proposal to reopen the Leamside Line, which the homes also overlook, has added to residents’ concerns. 

Yet Citrus Durham said it understood the concerns and has worked to mitigate the impacts of the new road on neighbouring properties.  

Moving approval of the scheme, Councillor Alan Bell, Independent member for Lumley and West Rainton, said Integra 61 has been a “massive success” for County Durham. 

Speaking after the meeting, James Taylor, Citrus regional director, said: “We are extremely pleased to have secured outline planning consent, which is a significant milestone and the culmination of a long-held vision to expand Integra 61 and build on our successes across two phases, together once complete, creating one of the region’s largest employment destinations.”