News Beat
The new estates proposed for sprawling Yarm in 2025
Many have argued that the development bids across Yarm and nearby areas simply “cannot go ahead” – claiming the area is already “bursting at the seams”.
Everything from traffic to infrastructure, facilities, and education are among the concerns raised by those living in the area over the last 12 months.
And as we move into 2026, there are now 1,943 homes currently proposed for Yarm across five new-build estates – decisions on which will likely be made in the new year.
This includes two estates on Green Lane, one in Aislaby, one at Mount Leven Farm, and another opposite the Fox Covert pub in High Leven, Ingleby Barwick.
And this doesn’t even account for the new homes already under construction in the town, like The Cornfields and Hall Wood Meadows off the A67.
As the year comes to a close, here is a full debrief on the Yarm new homes saga engulfing 2025 – and what residents can expect to happen next year.
High Leven – 217 new homes
The saga first started in January when Barratt David Wilson Homes North East applied to build 217 new homes on fields off Low Lane.
The developers said the estate – opposite the Fox Covert and Ingleby Mill School – could bring 169 jobs and £33m into the regional economy.
A new signal junction on Low Lane with toucan and pelican crossings would be added, with new bus stops, a shared footpath and cycleway along the site’s spine road.
But soon after the plans were lodged, concerns started being raised over its impact on traffic due to Low Lane being a major link between Ingleby Barwick, Yarm, and eventually the A19.
Traffic concerns are something which would soon become a common thread across the next 12 months.
As of December 2025, these plans have not yet been approved and are now at the stage where they will either be recommended and/or sent to committee.
Green Lane, near Hutchinson Hobbs – 600 new homes
Anger amongst residents ramped up in June when Taylor Wimpey announced a bid to build 600 new homes on fields off Green Lane in Yarm.
The developer wants to transform 36 hectares stretching from the HMP Kirklevington Grange turn off to near Leven Bank and add two signalled junctions on Green Lane.
But residents argued that the town was already “bursting at the seams” – and the planning application drew almost 400 objections and even sparked a ‘Save Yarm’ campaign.
Taylor Wimpey’s public consultation earlier in the year did little to settle the frustration, with some branding the proposals as “the straw that broke the camel’s back.”
A common issue was the impact on Green Lane, a major route running through Yarm that eventually merges into Low Lane after Leven Bank.
While Hutchinson Hobbs Farm Shop & Butchers will remain under the plans, the recently revamped Yarm Driving Range’s future has not yet been set in stone – although The Northern Echo understands it has no plans to close and is open as normal.
This is not the first time plans have been lodged for this land either.
Taylor Wimpey tried to build 200 homes in 2017 but this was eventually withdrawn and previous bids for a golf course have also been made.
Taylor Wimpey has previously argued that the amount of housing is “relatively modest” but said it “understands the importance of listening to the community”.
As of December 2025, these plans have not yet been approved and are now at the stage where they will either be recommended and/or sent to committee.
Aislaby – 255 new homes
By the summer, while angered residents were ramping up their fight against the proposed new estate off Green Lane, attention then turned to a new plan.
The estate – called Yarm View – was described as an “attractive extension” to the area.
Formal plans for the estate – which the developer said would create 775 new jobs and bring around £6.6 million of spending in local shops – were lodged in October.
Before they were submitted, a public consultation was held for four weeks, with around 730 leaflets being sent out to nearby homes and businesses.
But, like the planned estates that came before it, residents strongly disagreed there was a need for new housing in the area.
The public consultation found that people generally opposed the development, raising concerns over roads, housing, and the impact on local services.
A spokesperson for VB Turnbull said: “VB Turnbull are excited to be consulting on plans for up to 255 new homes to the west of Eaglescliffe.
“The proposals would deliver a range of new homes from two-bed to six-bed homes, including 20 per cent affordable homes.
“This would provide more choice for families, older people and those seeking to get on the housing ladder.
“The proposals also include new cycle and pedestrian connections, road infrastructure, green spaces, landscaping and biodiversity net gain.
“The proposals will also include a financial contribution to expand local services and infrastructure.”
Mount Leven – 376 new homes
August brought yet another new plan for homes in Yarm, this time from Miller Homes for 376 houses at Mount Leven, near Leven Bank.
This includes a string of new homes, 48 per cent of which would be bungalows, alongside a local farm shop, care home, country park, padel courts, and a bus loop.
While an official planning application is yet to be lodged, it is not the first time a bid to transform this section of land has been put forward.
A plan for a retirement village with 332 homes, a 68-bed nursing home and other facilities across seven villages was approved in 2016, but only a roundabout has been delivered.
Plans from Mandale Homes to build 215 homes and a 68-bed care home were also refused by the council last year, with an appeal against this decision then also dismissed.
A spokesperson for Miller Homes said it wanted to create a “sustainable and inclusive community in Yarm”.
Green Lane, near Morley Carr Farm – 495 new homes
The final proposal of the year came in September for 495 homes north of Green Lane, next to Morley Carr Farm.
Gladman said it is “committed to bringing forward sustainable developments” and that the land represented a “significant opportunity to deliver new housing in a sustainable location”.
An outline planning application was submitted later in the year, despite a consultation receiving pleas from residents including “don’t build them” and “shelve it”.
Gladman said the homes would bring 704 new residents, 111 construction jobs and 151 indirect jobs over the 11-year building period.
The plans are yet to be approved and are now at the stage where they will either be recommended and/or sent to committee.
So, what now?
2026 will see either two things for each of the proposed estates – approval or rejection – with these decisions likely coming in the new year.
Next month will also see Yvonne Wallace, who launched the Save Yarm campaign earlier this year and is now a Yarm town councillor, take her petition to a full council meeting.
She will have five minutes to present her petition at the meeting on January 21, and it will then be discussed for 30 minutes.
“I am proud of what we have all achieved with this petition and rest assured I will keep pushing forward and challenging the overdevelopment of Yarm”, she said to residents who signed up to her campaign drive.
“It is too important to stop!”
