Housing estate near green belt land wins backing

News imageGoogle A street view taken on Philadelphia Lane. It is a single carriageway road with a pavement. In the distance is a red car and the start of a row of two-storey brick houses. Behind an unkempt hedge is a field with two white animals grazing.Google
The site for the estate lies just off Philadelphia Lane

Plans for a large housing estate on the outskirts of a city have won backing from a council.

Sunderland City Council has approved an outline application for 215, three and four-bedroom homes on agricultural land south of the Philadelphia Complex in the city's Copt Hill ward.

During a public consultation, only one objection was received concerning "overdevelopment", highway and pedestrian safety and impact on the green belt.

Developer Vestbrown Limited said the site would have green space "pockets" and structural landscaping to create a protected "boundary".

The site, between Philadelphia, Newbottle and New Herrington, had previously been identified as a housing growth site, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The scheme was approved by the council's planning and highways committee.

News imageLDRS A satellite image map with the location of the housing development highlighted in red at Philadelphia Lane in the centre. To the right of the image green fields can be seen. Other buildings, including a dementia care home and a football centre, are marked.LDRS
Developer Vestbrown Limited said the site would have green space "pockets" to create a protected green-belt "boundary"

The applicant's agent said the plan would deliver "much needed" new homes and upgrade public footpaths and landscaping.

The developer, as part of a legal agreement with the council, has also pledged financial support for education and allotment provision.

The council said the site was "largely allocated for residential development" and the developer's plan was "acceptable".

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