New homes will be built in a County Durham town after a multi-million-pound residential development was given the green light.
The news will now see a mix of 288 three to five-bedroomed bungalows, semi-detached and detached houses built by Miller Homes on a 17-hectare site on the edge of Consett.
The housebuilders along with North East planning consultants Hedley Planning Services, estimate that the development will create more than 800 jobs and over five hectares of public open space and recreation grounds. Hundreds of thousands of pounds in contributions to public services and almost £3.8m in tax revenue will also be generated.
Infrastructure plans for the site also include attractive landscaped trees and shrubbery in accordance with the approved Open Space and Landscaping Plan, which will further boost amenities for local people.
Access to the development will be provided by a new road from Delves Lane while new parking spaces associated with the scheme will be created. Onsite construction work is now expected to start early next year.
The site has been able to come forward under policy 6 of the County Durham Local which allows for sites which are unallocated within the plan to come forward over the course of the plan period which are well-related to a settlement and which meet the criteria as set out within this policy.
The Delves Lane site represents one of the first policy 6 sites to receive planning permission at Strategic Planning Committee due the site being well related to Delves Lane/Consett area and being designed to the highest standard to ensure a scheme which would secure a number of social, economic and environmental benefits for the local area.
Hannah Chapman, senior planner at Hedley Planning Services’ Wynyard office, who oversaw the planning application, said the development will provide a big boost for the regional housing stock – in particular, for people who want to stay living in the area but are looking to move up the property ladder.
She added: “This is an ideal edge of settlement development which complies with all the requirements of the local plan, namely policy 6, and one of the first to come through and receive approval at committee.
“We’re are working with property developers and local planning authorities to ensure schemes like this are both viable and form part of initiatives that are seen as a welcome boost to local areas, contributing towards meeting the strong demand for quality homes.
“As planners, we want to see the creation of beneficial housing developments in the North East that will leave a long-lasting legacy. This development will undoubtedly have a big impact and contribute to a positive change to this part of County Durham.”