Durham County Council’s Cabinet is set to meet next week to confirm the boundary areas for a new pilot scheme aimed at filling empty shop units in Bishop Auckland and Stanley. The move will implement High Street Rental Auction (HSRA) powers, which allow the local authority to force the leasing of commercial buildings that have been vacant for at least one year.
Under the new rules, derived from the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023, the council can hold an auction to offer a lease of up to five years on privately owned properties. This measure will be used as a last resort in cases where the council has tried and failed to work with property owners to bring the buildings back into use.
Bishop Auckland and Stanley were chosen for the project because they have seen the largest increases in empty units across County Durham. Recent data shows that vacancy rates grew by 3.25 per cent in Bishop Auckland and 3.2 per cent in Stanley.
The Cabinet is expected to confirm the specific designated areas where these rules will apply following a public consultation. If approved, the first businesses are expected to move into the previously empty properties by autumn 2026.
