Bid to create new road in Yarm amid plans for 600 homes

Trizenda Limited and the Tate family have proposed to build a new road linking the A67 and Castlelevington Lane in a bid to “relieve pressure” on the nearby Green Lane.

It would be built on the undeveloped land behind Kirklevington Grange prison and allow cars to avoid the busy Crossways Roundabout to get to Kirklevington and the A19.

It comes as plans are considered for a mammoth new estate on the fields south of Green Lane, which raised numerous concerns over impact on traffic and infrastructure.

The plans, which were submitted in July and are yet to be approved, included adding two signalled junctions to Green Lane, an already busy route.

The Tate family, which own the land, and Trizenda, which holds a promotion interest in the land, argued this would help alleviate traffic woes in the area, should the new estate be built.

Taylor Wimpey said it submitted "robust assessments" regarding the impact on traffic and will "continue to work closely with the council and local stakeholders".

The potential access route in Yarm (yellow) and the outline of the planned Taylor Wimpey estate (red) (Image: GOOGLE)

A transport note, submitted as part of the Taylor Wimpey application, said evidence points to the roads already operating at or close to capacity. 

“This redistribution of traffic would alleviate queueing, improve flow along Green Lane, and reduce the likelihood of blocking back from the roundabout to the site access points”, it said. 

“This would benefit not only the proposed new residents but also the wider community, including those living in Levendale, Kirklevington, and Ingleby Barwick.”

‘Critical role’ 

The Taylor Wimpey plans, which received just short of 600 objections, plans to add two signalled junctions to Green Lane, one near Kirk Road and the other near Glaisdale Road. 

The “sensitive” road currently plays a “critical role” in linking Yarm to Leven Bank and other areas of Teesside. 

Residents argued the "overburdened traffic system" would be hit even further if another 600 homes were built on the land when objecting to the plans earlier this year.

The planned Taylor Wimpey estate (Image: P+HS ARCHITECTS / TAYLOR WIMPEY)

One person argued the traffic going into Yarm already "is chaotic at peak times and causes total gridlock" without the estate.

This plan is one of four proposed estates lodged this year alone for the Yarm area, with other developers hoping to build further down Green Lane near Morley Carr Farm, on a field in Aislaby, and off Low Lane near Ingleby Barwick.

The transport note said that this new Taylor Wimpey estate could see limited increases in travel time on the already heavily trafficked corridor.

“Existing traffic counts demonstrate that the road operates close to its practical capacity during both AM and PM peaks, particularly on approaches to the A67 roundabout,” it said. 

The document argued that the impact on the roundabout nearby would likely be “both unreasonable and excessive”. 

Trizenda and the Tate family believe adding a new road of their land would be “both viable and strategically beneficial” and is a “practical solution to a known problem”. 

It said: “The scale and configuration of the land provides the flexibility needed to deliver the connection, and its implementation would address the principal operational concern arising from the current access strategy.

It would allow traffic to exit southwards towards the A67, diverting trips away from the overstretched Green Lane corridor and easing pressure at the roundabout. 

“This alternative is not speculative; the land is available, unconstrained, and capable of supporting a safe and well-designed access.”

A Taylor Wimpey spokesperson said: “As part of our planning application at Green Lane in Yarm, we have submitted robust assessments of the proposed development’s traffic impact.

"We continue to work closely with the council and local stakeholders as part of our planning application.”