Bellway Homes plans for 81 homes in Hawthorn refused

Bellway Homes applied for 81 properties, a convenience store and green space as part of an ambition to improve access to new housing in Hawthorn and the East Durham area. 

The developer identified land near St Michael's Rise in the village and proposed a mix of multi-room homes and bungalows as part of the development. 

But residents warned that further house building would negatively impact the village’s historic character and appearance. 

The new homes were proposed for empty land in the East Durham village.(Image: Bellway Homes)

“Hawthorn is unique in that it is an ancient medieval settlement and it is also the last of its kind in coastal County Durham, a village born out of agriculture rather than coal-mining, consisting of unique and very rare magnesian limestone grassland,” objectors said. 

Easington MP Grahame Morris supported the proposal despite significant opposition from locals and Durham County Council’s planning department. 

Objectors raised concerns over the proposed development’s scale, impact on the village, pressure on existing infrastructure, traffic and congestion, and flooding. Locals also pointed to the ongoing work to create further housing at the nearby Seaham Garden Village. 

A planning committee meeting was told that the new homes and facilities would prevent residents from regularly leaving the area for basic amenities. Michael Hepburn, a planning consultant, said: “This scheme will deliver many significant benefits for the local community and for Durham as a whole. This development has been very carefully designed and will not overwhelm the village in any sense. 

“We accept there will be some impact in introducing houses in an area where there are currently aren’t any, but this scheme has been developed sensitively.”

Shaun Cuggy, of Bellway Homes, added that the proposal would boost local housebuilding targets and provide better opportunities to get onto the housing ladder. 

He said: “County Durham is in dire need of new homes. This development would help provide much-needed new homes in East Durham for local people in the form of family housing, affordable housing and older people’s accommodation.”

But in debating the proposal, committee members noted the planning department’s insistence that the proposal contravened several planning policies. 

Councillor David Freeman, of Elvet, Gilesgate and Shincliffe ward, said: “Yes, we do need homes, but they have to be in the right location and comply with our planning policies. This development does not. I have rarely read a report that is so critical of an application, and there are numerous grounds to refuse the application.”

The committee unanimously refused the proposal. 

Planning chairwoman and Reform UK councillor Jill Campbell said: “Although we have to give significant weight to housing need, and there are benefits to this application, what strikes me is that the character of this location is very important and significant. 

“The adverse impacts of the proposed development in terms of landscape harm demonstrably outweigh the benefits of this proposal.”