Plans for hundreds of new homes in Yarm take step forward

Miller Homes wants to build a string of new builds alongside a local centre, care home, and country park on the fields at Mount Leven near Leven Bank. 

Plans for the estate, which were first announced last August, also featured a local farm shop, padel courts, and a bus loop next to the community centre.

And now, the developer and land owner - Teesside property developer Javed Majid - have lodged a ‘screening opinion’ with Stockton Borough Council for up to 400 new homes. 

It follows significant backlash against new homes in the area and the recent refusal of 600 homes off the nearby Green Lane, a decision that is now set for a public inquiry.

A report submitted to the council said it wants to address the issues that led to the refusal of several previous applications for the site.

Plans for the estate announced last year (Image: MILLER HOMES/GOOGLE)

The developer is now requesting the council’s opinion on its environmental impact scoping report, so a more formal application can be submitted.

Documents reveal how the local centre on the site is hoping to boast two shops, a community hall, and outdoor sports area. 

Houses on the development would be a mix of one and two storeys, from two bedroom to five bedroom homes.

Miller Homes said it is “committed to a programme of consultation and engagement” with the public regarding the new estate. 

(Image: MILLER HOMES/GOOGLE)

The three-storey care home is expected to feature 135 rooms.

There are hopes that construction could begin as soon as 2027 if plans are approved, with 50 homes being built per year over seven and a half years.

There are some ecological issues on the site, including the loss of habitats - but the developer argues it believes the scheme could continue with "minimal impact”. 

It also identifies some key transport issues, including the operation and capacity at junctions during peak periods and the safety performance of nearby roads.

Mount Leven history

Several attempts have been made to build homes at Mount Leven over the last decade or so.

A plan for a retirement village with 332 homes, a 68-bed nursing home and facilities including a tennis court, bowling green, community hall and convenience store across seven villages was approved by the council in 2016. 

Mount Leven Farm in Yarm (Image: THE NORTHERN ECHO)

But no homes or facilities, and only a roundabout and the start of an access road leading towards the fields have so far been delivered. 

A letter sent out by Miller Homes last year stated that a planning inspector has confirmed that a lawful start has been made on implementing an approved planning permission "relating to retirement housing", and this could therefore still be built out. 

Plans for 215 homes and a 68-bed care home from Mandale Homes were also rejected in 2024 following an unsuccessful appeal. 

A separate revised planning application, for the same number of homes on the 12.6-hectare site, were also rejected by the council. 

New homes in Yarm continue to be hugely controversial after a series of plans were submitted for new estates across the town in recent years.

This included two estates on opposing sides of Leven Bank - one off Green Lane, Yarm, and the other off Low Lane, High Leven - a third in Aislaby, and another near Morley Carr Farm.

Yarm residents previously argued that the “under strain” town was “bursting at the seams” and could not handle any more homes, raising fears over their impact on local infrastructure. 

A Save Yarm campaign is continuing to fight the new homes; meanwhile, Taylor Wimpey’s refused estate off Green Lane will go to a Planning Inspectorate public inquiry later this year.