PLANS to refurbish a crumbling former farmhouse and cottage passed by thousands of motorists each day have stalled after concerns were raised about safety.

The plans for Little Burdon Farm, in Sadberge, which could see the creation of nine new homes, were first submitted back in November 2016 with further documentation being supplied to Darlington Borough Council last year.

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The farmstead, which also requires listed building consent for any alterations since both the farmhouse and cottage are Grade II listed, lies on the cusp of the busy A66 and concerns have been expressed by Highways England about access onto the dual carriageway.

A spokeswoman for the council said: “Due to an objection from Highways England regarding the safety of the proposed access to the trunk road the application is on hold.

“The property is a listed building and, due to the state of disrepair, has also been placed on our buildings at risk register.”

Highways England said in a statement: “We have requested a holding recommendation on this application due to a number of safety concerns with regards the A66 that still need to be addressed.

“We await further information from the developer in this regard.”

The Northern Echo was unable to contact the applicant, John Henry Marshall Jasper, to see what the current intentions were for the site and no response was received from Sunderland-based agents MAP Architectural Services.

The listed buildings would have been repaired under the plans and outbuildings converted into residential accommodation with garages and/or parking.

The council’s conservation officer had asked for a fuller assessment of how the proposed changes would impact on a designated heritage asset.

Councillor Brian Jones, who represents Sadberge, said: “There have been issues over demolition which began on the site and public rights of way and it has clearly been derelict for some time.

“It’s in the middle of nowhere, no facilities, no shops, and I can see there being quite a number of problems actually.

“It would be good if it could be repaired and brought up to living standards, but I can understand the problems with access. It’s not good and probably goes back to the horse and cart days.”