Plan for homes rejected over extra demand concerns

Residents had warned the village's infrastructure would not be able to cope

A proposal to build 70 new homes has been rejected after residents warned their village was being "bombarded" by housing developers.

Councillors rejected plans by Gleeson Homes to build the properties in Leeholme, County Durham, amid significant local opposition.

The company wanted to build a mix of bungalow and two, three and four-bedroom homes on land near Buckingham Terrace.

The application was refused despite a Durham County Council recommendation to approve and warnings that a planning appeal process could prove costly.

Residents had warned the village's infrastructure would not be able to cope with the extra demand.

Shaun McManners, who lives in Leeholme, said the village was "constantly being bombarded by private housing developers".

He told the planning committee: "Local businesses and facilities have gone from this village since the turn of the century because of the cumulative impact of previous developments and little reinvestment."

Gleeson Homes applied to build 70 homes off Buckingham Terrace

Gleeson Homes pledged to invest about £285,000 in local services and the community, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Local county councillor Kate Rowland suggested that 92 letters of objection showed the development was not wanted.

"This development is out of scale for Leeholme – it will overwhelm the village's traditional mining character with no housing needed here," the Reform UK councillor said.

Councillor Anita Savory, an Independent for Weardale, said the benefits of the scheme outweighed the harms.

"While I do have sympathy with the residents, I can't see a valid planning reason to refuse this application," she said.

"If we do so, and the applicant appeals and they win, it could cost this council a tremendous amount of money."