More homes planned near proposed 1,200-house site
GooglePlans have been submitted for 200 new homes to be built on a site next to a proposed development of 1,200 properties.
Bellway Strategic Land and Helen McCall have applied to Durham County Council for permission to build on green belt land west of Bournmoor, between the A183 at Chester Road and the A1052 near Houghton-le-Spring.
In submitted documents, the applicants said 440 "executive" homes were being built at nearby Lambton Park, with an application for 800 more also being considered, leaving a gap for a "broader range of housing" to meet different needs and budgets.
But one resident objecting to the application said the volume of proposals was making the area "unpleasant" to live in.
The wider site is between the boundary of two councils - Durham and Sunderland - with both authorities "targeting" it for new housing.
The resident said: "This uncoordinated approach is placing untold and increasing strain on the area, fundamentally changing its character and making it an increasingly unpleasant place to live."
Another objector said local infrastructure could not cope with more houses.
"There aren't any doctors surgeries in the village and the ones in the surrounding areas don't have the capacity," they said.
"School places are also an issue."
The applicants told the council the planned homes would be a mixture of types and about 30% of them would be in the "affordable" category.
They said although the land was green belt, there would be "no adverse impacts" in developing it because the benefits of the scheme, such as delivering affordable homes and making effective use of land, would outweigh the negatives.
A Durham County Council consultation on the plans runs until 15 May.
