Council leaders have backed plans to force landlords to rent out empty shops and reverse “years of neglect”, writes Local Democracy Reporter, Bill Edgar.
Durham County Council is set to use High Street Rental Auction (HSRA) powers to tackle properties which have been vacant for more than a year in Bishop Auckland and Stanley.
It comes as the number of empty retail properties in County Durham currently exceeds national rates. In June 2025, the countywide average was 22.73 per cent compared with the national average of 14 per cent.
Existing redevelopment work in both Bishop Auckland and Stanley has highlighted the impact of prominent vacant properties on high streets, the council said. Bishop Auckland’s current vacancy rate of 35.3 per cent is one of the highest in County Durham.
The local authority agreed to launch a consultation on the introduction of new enforcement measures on Wednesday.
HSRAs allow authorities to undertake an auction, offering a lease of up to five years on a privately owned property. Enforcement through the scheme will be a last resort, used only when other attempts to engage and work proactively with a landlord have failed.
Reform UK councillor Karen Allison, cabinet member for leisure, tourism, regeneration and high street, said the new powers will work alongside existing business support, grants, loans and enforcement.
When asked how the scheme will be funded, Cllr Allison said: “Stanley has suffered from years of underinvestment, and consequently, we have to be realistic about the ability of the council to invest at the scale required to reverse these years of neglect. We are confident we can achieve a positive change, including through the recently announced Pride in Place programme, which we will take the lead on.
“We also hope that further investment with be forthcoming from the North East Combined Authority, especially after the North East Mayor, Kim McGuinness, named Stanley as an area in scope of the North East high street’s commission.”
Stanley is among several County Durham communities set to benefit from £20 million of Government funding to revive high streets, parks and public spaces.
Cllr Allison added: “The opportunity to pilot the HSRA powers in Bishop Auckland and Stanley will enable us to evaluate and consider if this approach will be effective in our aim to improve our towns and tackle rising vacancy rates. The approach supports local enterprise and community benefit.”
Bill Edgar
Reporter for the Local Democracy Reporter Service.
Bishop Auckland's local community newspaper.
