THE future of a planned 198-home estate is unclear after an attempt by a developer to start building a 198-home estate while only having one access for construction vehicles was rejected.

Members of Darlington Borough Council’s planning committee appeared dismayed by Homes by Carlton’s application and rejected its bid to overturn a key condition of the planning consent the scheme near Grendon Gardens and High Stell, Middleton St George, received last year.

Agent for the developers, Steve Hesmondhalgh, said if there had not been issues over negotiating a second entrance to the site work to start building would already have started.

Mr Hesmondhalgh said as the developer was a small to medium sized firm, it needed permission to build 50 homes before it was able to buy the second access route.

Councillor David Lyonette told members that the original planning application had been “one of the most difficult” he had dealt with in that area and if it had not featured two accesses it would not have been passed. He said the plans may need a complete revision.

The committee’s chairman, Councillor Paul Baldwin: “We were told ‘give us permission with two accesses and we’ll start tomorrow. I feel like I am getting conned somehow. If we grant it for 50 homes, then it could follow on for the next 50.”