Children from a former East Durham pit village earmarked for multi-million pound regeneration have been playing their part by imagining homes and communities of the future.

Pupils from Cotsford and Yohden Primary Schools, in Horden, took part in workshops and design challenges, which gave them the chance to create the kind of environment they want to live in.

Children were asked to create a master plan that showed their vision for Horden by designing a sustainable housing scheme for 100 homes with houses for all ages designed around pedestrianised, community living.

The plans included ideas for new homes, community spaces, and environmentally friendly solutions.

Cotsford Primary School in Horden create their own sustainable communities.

placeholder image — Cotsford Primary School in Horden create their own sustainable communities.

The village is frequently highlighted in reports as one of the most deprived areas in the country.

Now, however, concerted efforts are being made to revive Horden with a train line already restored to the village and more than £10m set to be invested in removing exhausted housing stock and replacing it.

Durham County Council has submitted proposals to regenerate Horden’s ‘numbered streets’ once at the heart of the community but now almost all boarded up and scheduled for demolition.

Gerry Ruffles, of MOBIE North, a project set up by Washington-born TV architect George Clarke, led the design challenges with a small team spending the day at each school.

MOBIE North's Gerry Ruffles and Wayne Kennedy

“It’s surprising just how much passion, how much creativity there is among these young kids,” he said.

“They see things very clearly in terms of what it is they want, and things like the environment and sustainability are things they’re interested in.

“It’s incredibly rewarding working with them because not only do they come up with good ideas of what makes a successful community and how to create the right environment for it.”

MOBIE North’s Wayne Kennedy, who worked alongside Gerry, added: “What struck me was how well the children designed their green energy and green transport solutions – they were really interested in providing green spaces, parks, cycle paths, and ponds.”

Organisers of the school workshops, sponsored by the North East Combined Authority and Mayor Kim McGuinness, hope some of the youthful ideas will be picked up and taken on board by developers.

MOBIE North plans to conduct a series of school visits across East Durham to showcase the best ideas later in the year.