Decision due on new bungalows plan in Hartleool village

Proposals will go 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.

Councillors deferred making a decision last month for a site visit to take place first.

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

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

Worries raised include the village being “too small for further development” and that the proposals would encroach onto green space, be out of character with the area and increase traffic concerns.

Council planning officers recommend the development be refused. They say: “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 region, while two letters of support have been submitted from residents echoing this.