First proposals for controversial garden village

The proposal is part of plans for the Skerningham Garden Village in Darlington

Proposals for up to 450 homes making up the first part of a controversial garden village have been submitted.

Skerningham Estates Ltd submitted a hybrid planning application for the initial part of the the Skerningham Garden Village development and outlined how the new Darlington community could look.

Up to 1,650 houses and facilities, such as a GP surgery and schools, could be built at the village by 2036, with a further 4,500 homes planned on the site in the future.

However, hundreds of residents backed a campaign calling on the council to protect a nearby woodland and wildlife.

A new retail store and pub could be built on the site during the first phase of development.

Of the 450 proposed homes, 90 would be categorised as "affordable".

The project is estimated to cost about £120m, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Woodland concerns

The Skerningham Garden Village will adjoin existing communities at Beaumont Hill, Whinfield, and Great Burdon.

Barmpton Village is also located to the north east of the site.

Objectors, however, remain concerned about the potential location of a new distributor road for the site, which has not been finalised.

Drafted plans show how the distributor road could be built through the Skerningham Woodland area, despite previous assurances from the former Conservative-led Darlington Council that it was saved from development.

Darlington Borough Council will review the planning application in due course.