PLANS to build 88 new homes on a former farming site have been submitted to Durham County Council.

An outline planning application proposes a housing development on land north of the former Rodridge Cottage Farm in Station Town, near Wingate.

Plan B Planning and Design Associates, acting on behalf of the applicant, propose a mixture of bungalows, terraced and semi-detached houses and large detached homes.

Although the development will contain “low density” housing with about 16 homes per hectare, a council report states, the development would result in “encroachment into open countryside”.

According to the application, commercial agricultural activities at the farm stopped several years ago with buildings subsequently used for commercial activities such as storage of machinery and food.

Although the farmhouse and buildings have been excluded from the application site, they will form the basis of another application for redevelopment.

The applicants are not expected to use the site for any commercial purposes in future, with the buildings currently vacant and disused, a report adds.

Durham County Council also hope to secure affordable housing on site by entering into a section 106 agreement with the developer.

This will be used to secure funds for education in anticipation of rising pupil numbers at schools in the area created by the new homes.

The existing site layout also makes use of two "stub roads" to the adjacent Newholme Estate North development for vehicle access.

The scale and appearance of the development will be decided at a later date, with the final decision resting with Durham County Council’s area planning committee.

The application comes months after Partner Construction secured planning permission for 250 new homes in nearby Wingate, despite objections from residents.

Partner’s proposals include a mix of two, three and four bedroom starter and family homes at the site, south of Wellfield Road.

The homes will be built to the south of another development of 161 homes granted permission in March 2014. Once completed, both schemes will boost the population of Wingate by about 1,000 people, or 20 per cent.

For more information on the Station Town application submitted by Frankill Ltd, visit: publicaccess.durham.gov.uk/online-applications.