Residents mixed views on plans for Mount Leven in Yarm

“How do you spell ‘chaos’?” she asks. Miller Homes’ housing proposals are attracting a mix of reactions at this drop-in, and this attendee appears to be a critic, chiefly of the present government.

“It was a lovely, lovely town and Labour have done their best to destroy it,” the resident says. “They’ve surrounded us with housing, out of all proportion.

“I don’t know whether they really need all this,” she says. “It should be more of a community space for people.

“They’ve made it so you can’t move in Yarm now. We get gridlock and it’s just going to get worse.”

On the other hand Andy Hardcastle, 77, who lives in Ingleby Barwick, says he regularly travels into Yarm and is pleased by the plans: “It looks really good. It doesn’t seem to be a tinpot idea.

“It’s brilliant to come and see what they’re actually proposing. It’s clearly something they’ve given a lot of thought to, in the way the whole development is set out.

“The problem is always the traffic generation, but I don’t see that a lot of people would entering and exiting this type of development. There would be extra traffic but in the scheme of things I think it would still work OK.”

People trickled into the Worsall Village Hall in Yarm for a closer look at the developer’s proposals for Mount Leven.

376 homes with two to five bedrooms, a care home and “community hub” including a community centre, wellbeing hub, farm shop, padel courts, picnic and play area and trim trail equipment, and a country park taking up a large strip of land along the 43-hectare site.

On a site with previous planning permission – a retirement village with 332 homes, a 68-bed nursing home and facilities including a tennis court, bowling green, community hall and convenience store, granted in 2016, but nothing save a roundabout delivered since – Miller Homes hopes to succeed, whether other plans have foundered.

It says it has responded to concerns which led to Mandale Homes’ plans for 215 homes and a 68-bed care home being refused by the council and an appeal dismissed by a government-appointed inspector in 2023, and is delivering a “thoughtfully designed community” tailored to meet residents’ needs.

First, it says it is focusing more on the needs of older residents as 48% of the homes will be bungalows, 40% will be accessible and adaptable and 20% will be suitable for wheelchair users, with a “care home/assisted living accommodation” proposed.

It says the community hub will reduce pressure on facilities in Yarm, proposing a bus loop and improved walking and cycling routes, and says it is working on safe access, better lighting, a transport assessment and travel plan.

The developer says it will offer more than 20 house types to tackle the accusation of “bland and generic” design. It says the design is “still evolving” and may be changed in response to people’s comments.

An alternative plan, which specifically includes a GP and dentist surgeries, is also presented to residents. Landowners are said to be in discussions with providers about this, but it is stressed this is a concept being explored at this stage.

Enduring worries, not least over traffic and strain on services, mean people may take some convincing on the third major housing plan to emerge for the Yarm area in four months. “I’m against it in principle. It’s not good for the area,” says 86-year-old Les Myers. His wife Audrey Smith, 68, says: “The traffic is the main concern.”

Two more residents, a retired couple, are unimpressed as they emerge from the hall. “Any development around here is detrimental to Yarm,” says the husband. “It’s getting worse all the time.”

His wife says: “You can’t get through at the moment. 370 homes with that many cars, it’s just ridiculous.

“They keep building all these houses and never build any more schools. They’re absolutely at bursting point.”

Ian McGregor, 72, however, is in favour: “I think it’s very attractive, particularly the community facilities. You’ve got a professional housebuilder who looks as if they’ve understood the site. The GP and the dentist to me would be a godsend to the area.”

Another resident says he opposed previous plans but “if it goes back to what was originally approved, you’ll probably get reluctant support. This much and no further, I think.”

Miller Homes expects to submit a planning application in November, with the council to consult formally with residents and technical experts in the winter. The developer aims to have a result for the plans next May.

A Miller Homes spokesperson said: “We are bringing forward proposals for new homes at a site allocated for residential development in the Stockton Local Plan.

This will create a sustainable and inclusive community in Yarm, with around 60% of the homes being accessible or adaptable to support the needs of older people and those with reduced mobility, and 20% of homes provided as affordable homes.

“The development includes a balanced mix of house types, with almost half being bungalows which there has been strong call for in the area.

To support community life, plans also feature infrastructure including a local centre served by a bus loop, improvements to footpath and cycle links which provide safe and sustainable connections towards Yarm, significant public open space, and a country park with walking routes.”

A survey can be completed on the development’s website and comments can be emailed to mountleven@lichfields.uk. The deadline for responses is Friday, September 19.