New houses approved despite school fears

The new houses will be built over three farm fields on the west side of Coxhoe

Plans for 83 homes in a village have been approved despite concerns from a school over the impact on local children's education.

Residents also expressed fears that Coxhoe, in County Durham, is becoming oversaturated with new homes.

Coxhoe Primary School joined the parish council and Durham county councillors in calling for Gleeson Homes to pledge £375,000 to support the school’s expansion.

The housing developer said it is making a contribution to health and education services and the new houses would "bring a number of social and economic benefits to Coxhoe and the surrounding area".

A mix of two, three, and four-bedroom houses will be built on green fields to the west of Coronation Terrace, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The Conservative and Lib Dem coalition-run authority agreed for the site's existing farm buildings to be demolished and the creation of a new vehicle access.

Situation 'completely wrong'

A total of 898 new homes are either approved or pending for the village, which has a current population of just over 4,000.

With the latest application, there were calls from some for Gleeson Homes to support any required expansion to the primary school.

In September 2020, the council’s education department expected a contribution of £441,000, but with 17 fewer properties in the revised application no contribution is required.

Lib Dem member Liz Brown labelled the situation "completely wrong", but council officers said they would struggle to defend any decision to refuse the application at appeal.

The site where houses are set to be built is on the edge of the existing village

Objectors fear some children currently living in the village will be pushed aside on distance criteria unless the school expands.

The parish council said the village school would become "oversubscribed".

It added: "It will lead to more children being driven to school and exacerbate traffic problems around Bowburn and Kelloe schools."

Gleeson Homes said it is providing £390,000, split between health services and secondary and special needs education.

In a statement, the developer said: "The site lies on the edge of a residential area in close proximity to services and facilities including access to sustainable travel options such as bus services and footpath links.

"There is ready access to local amenities, schools and employment sites, making the development socially sustainable."