Self-build housing plan attracts 51 objections
GooglePlans for 11 self-build housing plots are being recommended for approval, with conditions, despite 51 letters from residents opposing the plans, and objections from ward councillors and the local parish council.
Stockton-on-Tees Council is considering an application by ELG Planning to develop a paddock south of Manor Close, Wolviston.
Planning officers said the site was outside development limits but should not be ruled out purely on those grounds as the council needed to meet housing targets.
The developer said the homes would be "appropriate and in-keeping with the village's rural character" but objectors argued they would harm Wolviston's "distinct village character and heritage".
The local authority is required to create 4,153 new homes over the next five years, but a report released last month said it could only show four years' worth of deliverable housing sites.
'Unacceptable traffic'
Objectors said approving the plans would set a precedent for future development and erode the green buffer between the area and Billingham.
They also raised concerns about conservation, layout and safety on roads they said were "ill-designed to take construction traffic".
In a planning statement, ELG Planning said there would be no severe road impacts, no privacy issues, and the homes would support Wolviston's school, village hall and bus service with new residents.
But Wolviston Parish Council said the scheme would create "unacceptable traffic and highway safety impacts for existing residents" and put pressure on local amenities, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
Stockton ward councillors David Reynard and Marcus Vickers added the site was outside the Stockton Local Plan, which is used to guide planning decisions in the borough until 2032.
The proposal will be discussed at Stockton Council's planning committee meeting on Wednesday.
