OVER a thousand homes will be built at Wynyard - more than doubling the size of the village.

Stockton Borough Council’s planning committee today (Tuesday, April 1) voted in favour of two housing schemes which will see 1,100 mainly executive homes, at least one primary school, nursery, doctor’s surgery, community facilities and a row of shops added to the upmarket area.

A new footbridge over the A689 will help link the developments.

The move comes despite residents’ fears that the vast growth of the village would “water down” the estate, removing the exclusivity of the development.

But Matt Johnson, development director of Wynyard Park, which is building homes to the north of the A689, told the meeting how his company had bought the land when Samsung pulled out of its factory there, and had attracted over £250m of private investment to the new business park which replaced the factory.

“It is now home to 65 companies and 2,000 people based on site and is close to 100 per cent let,” he said.

“Although this new development is for residential use we still have 60 years of employment development on site and should you agree it will make this a workable location where people can work rest and play.”

He said the residential development would help fund more employment development on the site, bringing jobs and investment into the area and helping to find infrastructure improvements.

But Gordon Robson, of Grinton Parish Council, expressed concerns over the loss of green areas, and asked for better cyclepaths and footpath infrastructure.

Another resident, Julie Bedford, said: “I can’t anticipate how this is going to stay as a village environment. It is going to be a completely different village.”

She also expressed concerns about the increased numbers of cars and how safe the busier roads would be for local children.

Wynyard Park Ltd will build 600 houses and Sir John Hall's Cameron Hall Developments will build up to 500 homes.

Local businesses have also raised concerns about the increase in traffic congestion.

But council officers explained that the development came under Stockton Council’s five-year housing land supply and it would be difficult to reject the application without an appeal because this was one of the government’s key priorities for planning.

The Church of England plans to open a primary school at Wynyard to go with the housing and will apply to the Department for Education for funding next month Other plans for Wynyard include a £300m hospital in 2017 and the relocation of Norton’s independent Red House School there.