COUNCILLORS have unanimously backed a construction firm’s ambitions to expand its headquarters and build more homes nearby.

Durham County Council today (Tuesday, April 7) granted County Durham building firm Esh Group planning permission to expand its Esh House head office and build new offices to rent out, a training academy and 63 new homes at Bowburn, near Durham, on a site straddling Bowburn North Industrial Estate and the adjoining former Cape Asbestos factory site.

Members of the council’s county planning committee all voted in favour of the scheme during a meeting at County Hall.

Councillor Henry Nicholson said he was pleased to see new housing coming forward and an established business expanding and proposed accepting the recommendation of the council’s planning officers that consent be given.

Cllr Mike Dixon seconded the motion, saying house building was very important for the economy.

Cllr Paul Taylor said he was very much in support of the application and it was good to see it happening in Bowburn.

Committee chair Cllr Keith Davidson said during a visit to the site he had been impressed by how naturally residential and commercial developments on the site sat.

Cllr Barbara Armstrong said Esh Winning had lost Esh Group because the firm became too big and Bowburn could not afford to lose it too.

Esh’s HQ expansion will see the creation of 50 new jobs and 30 posts relocated from Newton Aycliffe.

It is anticipated the new homes will be built by Persimmon. They will have two, three or four bedrooms, with a fifth officially “affordable”.

Residents and community groups had raised concerns over the scheme’s impact on traffic and the loss of land that could be used for employment.

Planning permission was in place to use the site for employment. However, Esh said the site had been marketed for that purpose since 2010 with no “solid interest” having emerged.

Bowburn county councillor Jan Blakey raised questions over recent changes to the nearby junction 61 of the A1(M). The council will take these up with the Highways Agency, which is responsible for the motorway.

The Cape Asbestos site has been disused since the factory closed in 1990. It was declared clean by inspectors in 2010 following a ten-month decontamination costing £1.8 million and many new houses have since been built on the land.