COUNCILLORS have urged housing developers to build larger homes to promote “family harmony”.

The comments were made by members of a Durham County Council planning committee, which was discussing plans submitted by Barratt Homes to alter a development in Spennymoor to have more, smaller houses on the estate.

Councillor Fraser Tinsley told other members that the average size of new homes was 76 sq m in the UK, compared with 87 sq m in Ireland, 109 sq m in Germany and 115 sq m in Holland.

He added: “They are building small boxes that are not giving people the accommodation our young people and sometimes older people deserve.”

Cllr George Richardson said: “I have been banging on for years about making houses larger. It does impact on family harmony.

“If you have a fight with the wife then you want to be at the other end of the house. In these starter homes you can’t do that.”

Cllr Ivan Jewell said: “I think we do need more houses and a range of houses. It’s all very well saying we need bigger houses but we also need houses people can afford.”

The committee members were discussing plans to alter the approved plans for the former Thorn Lighting site, in Merrington Lane Industrial Estate, Spennymoor.

Developer Barratt Homes was asking for permission to put an extra 19 homes on the site, substituting 136 others for smaller house types.

The application was approved, which means there will be a total of 414 houses on the site.

Amy Ward, planning manager for Barratt Homes, said the development would provide high quality starter homes and was altering the types of houses to respond to market needs.

She said: “Our vision for this sire was to create high quality housing which will make a positive contribution to Spennymoor.

“The proposed housing types will provide for small family homes, responding to the market needs.”