A MAJOR residential development, which promises to further the regeneration of a former mining village in north Durham, is likely to be approved today.

Barratt Homes has applied to build 169 houses and an associated road network on rough open space at Holly Crescent, in Sacriston.

Planning officers have hailed the proposals as a high-quality, sustainable form of development which will help transform the village and have recommended that Chester-le-Street district councillors approve them.

Up to a third of the development - with extensive views towards Newcastle Gateshead - will consist of affordable housing.

The plans, if approved, come on top of a spate of regeneration in the village.

The district council is spending £100,000 to upgrade Front Street, while Durham County Council has set aside £45,000 for new street lighting.

The site was previously occupied by houses, which were demolished and cleared 15 years ago.

The homes for the scheme comprise mostly three-bedroomed houses in detached, semi-detached and terraced formats, with a further 20 providing four-bedroomed accommodation.

Up to 29 two-bed homes are also proposed, with provision for 51 dwellings as affordable housing scattered across the development site. These will be capped at £82,500.

Residents had raised concerns about the layout of the scheme, with the potential for anti-social elements getting access to the site.

There was a particular worry about a gap of open space left between the proposed dwellings and the adjoining Southburn Rise in the original plans.

The planning committee, which is meeting today, will be told revised plans have remedied this in a number of ways.

The garden areas have been extended, while the enclosure, proposed at the Holly Crescent Findon Hill footway link, is said to provide a more significant barrier to unauthorised or anti-social access to this area.

The district council will also secure £169,000 from the developer toward recreational and leisure facilities in the area.

A report to today's meeting concludes: "In design terms, it is considered that the type and mix of dwellings across the development would contribute towards creating a diverse and mixed community, while significantly improving the quality and appearance of the built environment."