PLANS to build up to 50 houses in a Teesdale village have received a mixed reception.

James Trotter has submitted outline plans to Durham County Council for the development on greenfield land east of Cleatlam Lane and Sudburn Avenue, in Staindrop.

The 2.3 hectare site is currently used for grazing and it is not yet known the type of houses Mr Trotter would look to build.

The Northern Echo:

A view of the proposed layout from the application on the Durham County Council website. Graphic: Sten Architecture

He has suggested that 15 per cent, or the equivalent of seven units, be made affordable housing.

A new access road and pedestrian entrance would also be created and highway improvements made if the plans were approved.

In a statement of community involvement included with the plans, Mr Trotter's agent, ELG Planning, said steps had been taken to gain residents' feedback as early as possible.

A meeting was held with Staindrop Parish Council, 400 leaflets were distributed to nearby homes and a public consultation event was held at the neighbouring secondary school in July.

During the consultation, 31 responses were received.

Of these, eight were in support of the application and 22 objections were received. A further letter was marked neutral.

Supporters of the application gave reasons such as welcoming additional housing and supporting local amenities, while objectors cited reasons such as highway safety, loss of amenity or privacy and extra pollution.

One Sudburn Avenue resident said she objected on the grounds that the development would mean tenants would lose access to the green space at the rear of the street.

She said: "Many of us walk our dogs through the fields and under this proposal we will be forced around into the unlit road leading up to the proposed entrance in order to access the green space on the design.

"I would like to see a path put down at the back of the current street, whereby we can walk around the side of the new houses within the field, and access the proposed green space from a safe entrance.

"I think it's quite fair to ask for this as a minimum as we are going to lose privacy as well as the

current view which was the reason many people wanted to live here. I also believe having the new estate directly to the rear will have a negative effect on the amount of equity in the houses.

"I'd prefer if the green space proposed in the plans was built in between the new estate and the

existing homes as then both peoples could utilise it and this would be a place that encourages the

different aspects of the communities to come together.

"It would be a way of compensating the current residents for the inconvenience and privacy invasion; not only by the new tenants but by having our quiet street turned into a building site. "We have people living in our street who work night shift and having a large amount of construction work over a sustained period of time will cause a significant decrease in our quality of life.

"The plans should be adjusted to take into account the needs of the current residents by providing

access to the green space, or they should be moved elsewhere."

ELG planning said all the comments had been taken into account and would be considered if the application got to the next stage and final plans were drawn up.

Mark Pickering, chief finance officer at the Durham Dales, Easington and Sedgefield Clinical Commissioning Group, said an extra £34,500 would be needed to cope with the demands on health services from the new homes.

The application is pending consideration.

  • To view the application visit publicaccess.durham.gov.uk and search for

DM/18/02721/OUT