College housing plan expected to be refused

Plans by a college to build 54 homes on a disused playing field are expected to be rejected.

East Durham College wants to build the homes on an old running track at Willerby Drive in Peterlee, but a planning officer from Durham County Council has recommended the projected be refused permission.

George Spurgeon pointed out a number of problems with the scheme and said it would result in a loss of playing fields in the area.

However, Easington MP Grahame Morris has supported the application because it would bring the land back into use.

He said the plans would "repurpose a neglected area and generate revenues to enable the college to continue to deliver high-quality academic and sports provision, as well as much-needed housing".

The site was last used as a playing field in 2019, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

In its planning statement the college said the field was overgrown and it had no "surplus funds or intention" to reuse it as a playing pitch.

In his recommendation to the council, Mr Spurgeon said the proposed development would lead to the loss of about two hectares (7.4 acres) of playing fields and the application did not show a surplus of such facilities in the area.

Sport England objected to the plans for the same reason.

Mr Spurgeon said the development was of a "poor design" when assessed against the council's County Durham Plan Building for Life Supplementary Planning Document.

He said it "would not be possible for an appropriate layout for something numerically close to 54 dwellings" to be built while adhering to the guidelines.

The plans would also require prominent trees to be cut down and the development would cause significant harm to biodiversity in the area, Mr Spurgeon said.

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