East Durham College’s proposal to construct new homes on an unused playing field in County Durham is likely to be rejected. The college had submitted plans for a 54-home development at its Willerby Grove campus.
The land, last used as a playing field in 2019, has been left unmaintained and overgrown, enclosed by metal mesh fencing. “The site is overgrown and the college have no existing or projected surplus funds or intention to re-use the application site as a playing pitch,” read a statement from the college.
However, ahead of a planning committee meeting on Tuesday (February 11), Durham County Council’s planning department has recommended refusal of the plans.
Planning officials said up to two hectares of playing field would be lost and “the application is not supported by a robust and up to date assessment that clearly evidences a surplus of playing field provision in the catchment area” said planning officials. They also noted: “The proposed vehicular access would require the removal of prominent trees which would harm the character and appearance of the area.”
Sport England also lodged an objection, stating the proposal would result in the loss of land previously used as a playing field.
“No evidence has been provided to demonstrate that the playing field is surplus to requirements and no provision of equivalent or greater value is proposed,” their objection letter added.
Easington MP Grahame Morris has thrown his support behind the proposed development on currently unused land, highlighting its potential to “repurpose a neglected area and generate revenues to enable the college to continue to deliver high-quality academic and sports provision, as well as much-needed housing.”
The number of homes in the application has been scaled back to 54 from the initial proposal of 63. A statement from the college outlined the site’s advantages: “The site lies in an accessible location within an established residential area, and is in close proximity to existing local facilities within Peterlee. It has good links to public transport including bus and pedestrian networks and is close to a range of local amenities and facilities.”
The statement further detailed the local infrastructure, noting, “Within the wider area, there are several schools which are located to the south of the site. Additionally, in the wider surroundings, there is an industrial estate situated to the west of the site, across the A19 and a commercial complex located to the east of the site consisting of several shops including Morrisons and Lidl.”
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View news Source: https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/east-durham-colleges-plan-54-30969029
