Yahoo News First phase of 2,000-home development set to be approved
The first phase of a major housing development is set to be approved next week.
Plans for Burtree Garden Village will go before Darlington Council's planning committee on Wednesday. Councillors are due to consider an initial proposal for 750 homes, community facilities and sports pitches.
A new access road, from Rotary Way to Burtree Lane, and a park are also proposed. The Burtree development, in Faverdale, will ultimately see 2,000 new homes built over 20 years.
A new school, community centre, pub, and health facilities are also set to be built. Local authority planning officers have recommended the proposal for approval.
A planning document read: "The proposal would create a residential neighbourhood offering a wide range of house types, new community facilities, access to public open space and recreational opportunities." It is planned for a greenfield site on old farmland near Burtree Lane, Faverdale Industrial Estate, and the A68.
Several agricultural buildings currently on the site are due to be demolished before the main development work starts.
The planning document added: "Subsequent phases of the Burtree Garden Village allocation (the remaining 1,250 dwellings and 200.000 sqm of employment likely delivered in phases two and three and via separate planning applications) also relies on the delivery of the strategic infrastructure which will provide access from the centre of the site to the east and west."
The local authority has carried out two rounds of community consultation, one in 2017 and the other in 2020. Key concerns from residents focused on the development of greenfield land, concerns over the lack of services as well as concerns over traffic and road infrastructure.
Property construction firm Hellens Group is working with Darlington Council to develop the garden village proposal. In January 2023, Homes England pledged £43m towards Burtree Garden Village as part of the Government's Levelling Up agenda.
An initial proposal for a second garden village in Darlington, at Skerningham, was also put to the public at consultation events last year.
