St John’s College, Durham

St John’s College is located in the heart of Durham on the peninsula overlooking the River Wear. The site is part of the rear gardens of Grade II listed building along South Bailey, adjacent to the Grade I listed castle walls and the World Heritage Site. Woodhall prepared the PPS 5 Assessment and co-ordinated successful applications to secure planning permission and listed building consent for the erection of two
accommodation blocks for students.
 

The sensitivity of the site imposed a number of constraints on the design of the proposed buildings. In particular, there was a need to respect the scale, pattern and hierarchy of the existing built form and the castle walls. Also, the impact of the development, sitting on the edge of plateau above the river, needed to be considered in important views from the south and east. All these factors were relevant to the preservation of the character and appearance of the Durham Conservation Area and the setting of the World Heritage Site.