New Hartlepool bungalows approved despite objections

Proposals went before Hartlepool Borough Council planning committee on Wednesday, April 19, for the homes to be built on agricultural land to the north west of Highgate Meadows.

The plans from Wynyard Homes include one two-bedroom and six three-bed bungalows, with three of the seven new builds proposed to be dormer properties.

The land is just north of a previously approved development of more than 30 bungalows off Dalton Heights, which was originally approved in 2017 despite 65 objections and a 79-signature petition.

The latest application has seen 16 objections submitted by residents, with Dalton Piercy Parish Council also voicing concerns.

Council planning officers had recommended the proposals were refused, stating the bungalows would result in unacceptable visual and physical intrusion into the countryside and be outside defined development limits.

Yet councillors unanimously approved the application, citing the need for bungalows in the borough, while adding they were satisfied with the gap between the development and nearby hedgerows.

Graeme Pearson, from planning agent GAP Design, said: “We think there is a need for bungalows.

“The existing site has turned out beautiful, I think it’s a lovely site, providing much needed bungalow accommodation for the town.”

Worries raised from objectors ahead of the meeting included the village being “too small for further development” and that the proposals would be out of character with the area and increase traffic concerns.

Final planning conditions around the approved proposals will be arranged and put in place by council chiefs prior to work commencing.