Durham set to reject Hawthorn development
Bellway is the latest housebuilder looking to take on the Reform-led council, with plans for 81 homes and a convenience store on land east of Stockton Road in the village recommended for refusal at this week’s planning meeting.
Designed by Thomson Urban Design, the site is located on four agricultural fields to the west and north of Hawthorn village, measuring 15 acres and next to the B1432.
The land is directly west of the recently built St Michael’s Rise housing development, and three of the fields fall within an Area of High Landscape Value designation.
Proposals included a housing mix of two-bedroom bungalows and two- to five-bedroom houses, with 12 affordable homes included, as well as a 2,000 sq ft, single storey retail unit with eight parking spaces, to serve the development.
However, the recommendation to refuse is based on it being an ‘unsustainable and disproportionate form of development in the countryside’, with the planning officer noting the limited services and facilities within the village itself.
This would mean ‘future occupiers would be heavily reliant on private car use to access essential services and amenities in surrounding settlements.’
The scheme is also set to be rejected on the grounds that it ‘would cause adverse harm to the character and appearance of the area and the qualities of designated landscapes, while also adversely affecting the setting of both designated and non-designated heritage assets.’
Ultimately, the report states that the benefits of the development would not outweigh potential harm.
Bellway has been approached for comment.
