Residents object to plans to extend 'very popular' Hartlepool housing development

Proposals have been submitted to Hartlepool Council planning department for seven bungalows to the north west of Highgate Meadows, in Dalton Piercy.

The plans, from Wynyard Homes, state the bungalows will be provided on agricultural land just north of a previously approved 31 bungalow development off Dalton Heights.

In 2017 councillors on the planning committee approved plans from Wynyard Homes for the initial development, despite 65 objection letters from residents, including a 79-signature petition.

A design and access statement for the latest plans, submitted by GAP Design, says the bungalows would meet a need in the region.

It said: “The creation of the approved 31 bungalows to meet an identified need has proved very popular and the application is to extend the site into the land in the ownership by providing an additional seven bungalows.

“There is an urgent need for Hartlepool Borough Council to increase significantly the supply of housing and, more especially, the provision of bungalows.

“It is considered that the provision of residential development can be comfortably accommodated without detrimentally impacting on the character and appearance of the area or the amenities of existing residential dwellings.”

Documents note although the plans are for seven bungalows, one of the already approved 31 has been omitted, meaning the net increase in properties would be six.

Six of the properties would be three bed sites, with one having two bedrooms.

Three of the proposed homes would be dormer bungalows, while a total of 28 car parking spaces would also be provided.

Access to the site would be via a proposed new 6metre wide access road extended from that which is already approved.

However several objections have already been submitted to the proposals from residents in the area.

These include concerns over the loss of green space, pressure on the road network, and that the development would be “unsustainable” in the rural area.

A decision is expected to be made on the latest proposals by the council planning department in September.

To comment on the application, visit the council planning portal online and search reference number H/2021/0096.