An artist\'s impression of planned Durham County Council HQ at \'The Sands\' Development chiefs have admitted failure to secure permission to build on protected land would not halt controversial plans for a new council HQ. Durham County Council (DCC) secured approval for the multi-million pound riverside base at the Sands, in Durham City, in 2019. But the local authority is now having to fight to prove it can construct a car park for staff and councillors on ‘common land’ formerly used as a coach park. Today (Tuesday, April 27) marked the first day of a public probe into the scheme, led by an independent government assessor, to rule on whether the council should be allowed to revoke the site’s status to make way for the 60-space car park.