HOUSING developments proposed for Teesdale, including a scheme to build up to 40 homes in Barnard Castle, have been disclosed.
A freedom of information request by the Teesdale Mercury has revealed all pre-planning talks held in County Durham last year.
Developers frequently ask for these discussions before requesting formal planning permission. The behind-closed-door talks, which may come to nothing, can
give an indication about whether a scheme would be looked on favourably.
Advice is also sometimes requested to see if planning permission is needed for minor changes to homes.
The data disclosure revealed that a developer asked Durham County Council about building between 30 and 40 semi-detached dwellings at Shaw Bank, in Barnard Castle.
No formal planning application has yet been submitted on the scheme, which would be the latest of several recent big housing developments in the town. Over the past decade, some 497 homes have been built, or are under construction, in Barnard Castle and Startforth.
Guidance was also sought about creating eight new homes at Leekworth Gardens, in Middleton-in-Teesdale. An enquiry was made about building five houses on land to the north-west of 280 Toft Hill Lane, in Toft Hill, as well as five dormer bungalows on land north of Leaside, in Cockfield. Durham County Council charges between £30 and £2,500 for pre-application discussions, depending on the size of the scheme.
Some 15 requests were made for guidance on green energy projects, including solar panels, heat pumps and wind turbines. Four of these were for solar panels on people’s roofs in Barnard Castle.
Two residents in Mickleton made similar requests.
Two requests were made in Eggleston, one for roof solar panels and another at Connemara, Eggleston, to install 16 solar panels, replace an oil burner with an air source heat pump and for wind turbines.
Early planning talks also took place about installing 16 solar panels on the roof of a stable block at Lane Head Cottage, Lunedale. Other individual requests about roof solar panels were made in Gainford, Staindrop, Bowes, Middleton and Marwood.
These included 10 to 20 ground-mounted solar panels in the south facing garden at 6 The Hude, Middleton-in-Teesdale. Talks took place last year about turning Woodland’s last pub into homes. The Edge Hotel closed last summer, prompting the village’s parish council to hold a public meeting, where it was decided to apply for it to be listed as an asset of community value. Advice was sought on turning it into four residential units.
