Bungalow scheme on edge of Hartlepool is labelled 'unacceptable visual and physical intrusion'

Proposals go before Hartlepool Borough Council’s planning committee on Wednesday, March 15, for the bungalows to be built on agricultural land to the north west of Highgate Meadows, in Dalton Piercy.

The plans from Wynyard Homes include six three-bed homes and one two-bedroom property.

The site is near a previously approved 31 bungalow development off Dalton Heights, which was approved in 2017 despite 65 objections and a 79-signature petition.

The latest application has seen 10 objections submitted by residents as well as concerns from Dalton Piercy Parish Council.

Worries raised include the village being “too small for further development” and that the proposals would encroach onto green space and increase traffic.

A report from council planning officers ahead of the decision-making meeting reads: “The council’s planning policy section considers the location of the site to be unsustainable, and that the site is isolated from services.

“The development would result in unacceptable visual and physical intrusion into the countryside to the detriment of the visual amenity of the site and the character and appearance of the area.”

A design and access statement, submitted by GAP Design, says the bungalows would meet a need in the area while two letters of support have been submitted from residents.

A separate application will also be considered at the same meeting for plot five of the original 31 bungalow scheme, which would see three properties provided instead of one on the land.

Those proposals are recommended for approval.