Developers plan 400 homes on former council estate

At a presentation at Firthmoor Community Centre, in Darlington, representatives from Barratt Homes and Haslam Homes outlined plans to develop the land on the Firthmoor estate.

Last year, Darlington Borough Council completed a two-year programme to demolish 350 houses on the estate to make room for a new development.

Yesterday, members of the Firthmoor Community Partnership got their first glimpse of what the new homes could look like.

Although the plans have only just been submitted to the council, the developers and the local authority have already exchanged contracts for the development.

The developers want to set up a consultation programme with residents to find out their views on the scheme.

Richard Bass, regional land manager of Haslam Homes, said the company was planning to hold an open day for residents in the next few weeks.

He said: "It is very early days, but these plans should give people an idea of what we are hoping to do and what the estate might look like once completed. We want to involve local residents as much as possible and find out their views."

The development will include a combination of two, three and four-bedroom detached and semi-detached homes, most of which will be sold to private buyers.

But there will be some housing association properties providing family homes for part-ownership or rent.

Barratt plans to build 198 homes on the site and Haslam 213, in the Edgemoor Road, Carlton Moor Crescent, Ingleby Moor Crescent and Forest Moor Road area.

Mr Bass estimated that a Haslam two-bedroom house would cost about £45,000.

Barratt land manager Neil Milburn said that one of his company's four-bedroom homes could cost up to £100,000.

The regeneration scheme for Firthmoor started when the area received £3.17m from the Government's Single Regeneration Budget fund.

A council spokesman said: "We welcome the fact that we are moving towards the development of new homes. It's the next stage of the Firthmoor regeneration."