Long-running plans for new homes at Nunthorpe Grange look set to be refused again amid concerns over access to local amenities.

Persimmon Homes wants to build 69 houses on land to the north of the A1043 bypass. Middlesbrough Council planning officers said the development of three, four and five bedroomed detached and semi-detached properties was of “a high quality design, in an attractive landscaped setting with an appropriate layout”.

However, they recommended the plan be refused over a perceived lack of a “suitable” pedestrian and cycle link to local shops and services.

In a report to the council’s planning and development committee, which meets to make a decision on Thursday, they said a suggested route put forward by the developers was considered too long, convoluted and unsafe.

A previous scheme for 97 homes at the site was refused back in 2020 and two years later it was delayed, partly due to uncertainty surrounding a proposed footpath link into Nunthorpe Gardens.

The developers have since tried to secure a legal right of access over a piece of land located between the boundary of the site and the adopted highway on Nunthorpe Gardens.

When these attempts failed, the developers put forward a proposal to create a streetlit footway running alongside the A1043 eastwards on to a public right of way on Morton Carr Lane, which they say would be fully compliant with national guidelines.

However highways officers said this alternative route does not address the concerns raised over the lack of a connection into Nunthorpe Gardens and was unsuitable for cyclists.

They said residents of the new development would be more likely to rely on cars to access shops, schools and public transport, which is contrary to local and national planning policies.

“It does not promote and provide an attractive sustainable travel option for residents as an alternative to private car journeys,” said the report to the committee.

A spokesperson for Persimmon Teesside said: “Unfortunately the land needed for the council’s preferred pedestrian link is owned by a third party. Without access to that land, it is not possible to deliver the pedestrian link favoured by the local authority.”

The site is part of the wider Nunthorpe Grange development allocated for housing in the council’s Local Plan. A move to dispose of 15.6 hectares of council-owned land was approved in December last year, despite concerns over a perceived lack of supporting infrastructure.

The Executive of Middlesbrough Council was told the project would help meet an increase in demand for housing while improving the local authority’s “current financial situation”. Assuming the homes built would fall within council tax band E, the site would generate between £0.690m for 250 properties and £0.967m for 350 properties in council tax each year.

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The spokesperson for Persimmon Teesside said: “‘This site is allocated for housing in Middlesbrough’s Local Plan and so we’re hugely disappointed by the officer’s recommendation. With the need for new quality homes well established, we believe these proposals would deliver much needed, affordable homes for local homebuyers.”

Objections had also been raised concerning the impact of one of the proposed houses on a neighbouring home in Nunthorpe Gardens. The owner said it would result in a loss of light and overshadowing on their property, however the council said these impacts would not be so significant as to warrant refusal.