PROPOSALS for 70 homes in Staindrop have been described as “exciting” but they need to be clad in stone and care needs to be taken to ensure parking is provided.
These were some of the comments to emerge during Raby Estate’s engagement event in Staindrop last week.
Earlier this year the estate announced plans to build the houses on land it owns along Winston Road.
The estate had previously met Staindrop Parish Council to discuss future plans, among which was the housing development.
Explaining the engagement event, Raby Estate’s chief executive, Duncan Peake, said: “It is to get feedback to include in our plans as they emerge.”
He added that the plans will then be exhibited in September as part of a formal consultation with villagers.
A misconception in the village, he said, was that Raby would sell the land to a developer if outline planning permission is granted by Durham County Council.
He said: “Raby Estates will work with a developer partner, Brookhouse Group, to deliver the proposed residential development.
“In order to ensure quality, Raby will build out and deliver housing directly rather than selling off the land concerned to a developer. The estate will remain in full control of the development and design process and it hopes, subject to receipt of planning permission, that it will be possible for development to start on site in late 2020.”
Master planner and architect Ben Pentreath has also been called in on the project.
Mr Peake said Lord and Lady Barnard, who own Raby Estate, are determined that the development is a legacy for the village.
He added: “We are at an early stage of investigating these opportunities but we will be working closely with local communities in Staindrop and Gainford as our proposals emerge. Pubic responses from the engagement event will be considered alongside the technical evidence we are collating, and this will feed into the design of the proposals.”
People will be invited to a consultation in September to consider the final designs, he said. The engagement was welcomed by parish councillor Ed Chicken who said: “We have been working with Raby from the start. It is good to have a developer on your doorstep that you can talk to. It is an exciting development.”
Within minutes of opening at Scarth Hall on Tuesday afternoon, the engagement had already attracted plenty of interest. One villager said he had no issue with the development as long as it was sympathetic to the village and homes were built using stone.
His wife added that parking provision should be included in the plans because of a shortage in the village.
Another had concerns about access onto the main street in Staindrop which she said was already too congested.
