Evenwood Gate A688 housing site branded 'ghost town'

People living along the A688 at Evenwood Gate, between West Auckland and Staindrop, say they've been staring at completed but unoccupied homes for up to three years, with no sign of anyone moving in.

The unfinished housing development at Evenwood Gate, County Durham (Image: STUART BOULTON) Building work at the site, which used to be home to the Brown Jug Inn, before its demolition in 2015, began around seven years ago, with completed houses appearing in 2022.

This included fully finished houses with walls, windows, doors, garden spaces, fences, and guttering.

But since then, residents in Evenwood Gate have said there has been "minimal" work done on the development and compared the housing estate to a "ghost town".

The houses are completed but no one has ever lived in them (Image: STUART BOULTON) Durham County Council has confirmed that the site has 'stalled', with the local authority expecting a revised application for the development to be submitted soon.

One resident, who wished to remain anonymous, branded the site "a total mystery" and noted that while they aren't opposed to building in the village, they'd prefer the work to be complete "as soon as possible".

"It's left the whole place in limbo".

Weeds have started to grow along the fronts of the houses, and a building fence has blocked the site entrance from the A688 (Image: STUART BOULTON) "People driving through must be so confused - the houses are there. They've got windows, doors, gardens, fences and gates - but no one has ever lived in them.

"It makes no sense why this has happened."

The resident also fears that further development in Evenwood Gate could happen if the land left or right of the site, near to Evenwood Lane, was to be built on.

In images from the site, weeds can be seen growing through the railings on the front of the houses, while building fences can be seen blocking off the main entrance to the housing estate from the A688.

Building materials and weeds in the gardens of the properties at Evenwood Gate (Image: STUART BOULTON) Building materials can also be seen hanging from the garden areas of the houses, while weeds up to four feet high can be seen beyond the safety fence.

Rachel Aldred, who has lived in Evenwood Gate for three years, has only seen one digger at the site during her time living in the village.

Despite calling the site "strange", the County Durham mum believes that there are benefits to the developers completing the housing estate. 

The row of houses in Evenwood Gate (Image: STUART BOULTON) "Cars fly through the village - even though it's 40mph around here, cars don't do that," she said.

"If there were more houses in Evenwood Gate, it might encourage cars to slow down a bit or encourage councils and other groups to enforce the speed limit a bit more.

"My son is coming up to four years old, and I don't want this place to be dangerous for him."

The doors and windows still have protective material on them (Image: STUART BOULTON) From images on Google Maps, the site can be seen empty as far back as 2017, but by 2018, several of the houses had already started to be built.

By June 2023, the site looks as it does now, with completed houses but not the infrastructure in place to go with it.

Durham County Council say they are working with consultants connected to the private developer and are hopeful of finding a solution soon.

Michael Kelleher, Durham County Council’s head of planning and housing, said: “ We are aware that development has stalled at this site, which is privately owned.

"In light of this, we have held discussions with the developer’s appointed consultant to help them progress the scheme and resolve outstanding planning matters.

"We are expecting a revised application for the development to be submitted soon.”