HL Deb 28 June 1999 vol 603 c16WA
Lord Harris

of Greenwich asked Her Majesty's Government:

If they will call in the development plan of the Walkergate scheme in the City of Durham in view of the sensitivity of the site and the public concern about the possible self interest of the city council in the matter. [HL3186]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (Lord Whitty)

The Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions is aware of the planning application for a mixed leisure development at Walkergate in Durham. However, the local planning authority, Durham City Council, have not yet completed all their consultations on the proposed scheme. Consequently, the Secretary of State is currently in the process of gathering together all the relevant information about the application in order to determine whether it raises any issues which would justify intervention in the light of his current call-in policy.