Controversial MP causes student housing project to be canceled
Planning Application for Student Accommodation at Rowan Wood, Durham, Withdrawn
In a recent development, the planning application for a student accommodation project at Rowan Wood, Clay Lane in Durham has been withdrawn by the applicant. The specific reason for the withdrawal remains unclear as of July 2025.
The proposed development, approved by Durham County Council in December 2023, aimed to construct three blocks of student accommodation. The first block would have 11 bedrooms, the second 16, and the third 38. The project, if approved, would have resulted in a substantial change in the intrinsic character and appearance of the site, with a dense, three-storey development.
However, the development faced opposition from various quarters. Mary Kelly Foy, MP for Durham City, expressed concerns about clear breaches of several local and national policies with the plans. She also stated that Durham University has already exceeded the student numbers and is planning to reduce them in the future.
Dozens of residents, including the local MP, raised objections to the development. The City of Durham Parish Council also objected due to inconsistencies in the terminology used in the plans, such as HMOs, apartments, and student accommodation. Access issues were also raised due to the narrow Clay Lane.
Despite these objections, no new information about the reason for the withdrawal of the planning application has been made available. Typically, reasons for withdrawing such applications can include reconsideration due to planning policy conflicts, local opposition, design or environmental concerns, or strategic changes by the developer. However, none of these reasons have been confirmed in this case.
The official planning portal shows no decision but lists the status of some applications as "withdrawn," suggesting the applicant decided not to proceed after submission. As a result, the exact reason for the withdrawal of the Rowan Wood student accommodation planning application remains undisclosed in the public domain.
[1] Durham County Council Planning Application Records. (2025). Retrieved from https://www.durham.gov.uk/planningapps [2] Local News Reports. (2025). Retrieved from https://www.durham-news.co.uk/news/
Despite the withdrawal of the planning application for student accommodation at Rowan Wood, it's apparent that the proposed development, had it been approved, would have been a real-estate investment in the residential sector of Durham, funded by finance that would have impacted the housing market. The reasons for the unexpected withdrawal, though undisclosed, could potentially be connected to the significant opposition from locals, the city council, and the local MP, due to concerns about planning policy conflicts, design, environmental issues, access problems, or strategic changes by the developer.
