Anger over plans to build 117 new homes near Guisborough

The application by TCC Land Limited and Jollie Hollies Company Limited envisages the development would take place on an 12 hectare site currently used for agricultural purposes south of Stokesley Road and also describes plans for associated road infrastructure.

Approval at this stage would mean the principle of development had been established, allowing a developer to bring forward more detailed plans.

Dozens of objections have so far been raised with Redcar and Cleveland Council which has yet to determine the application, but has deemed the proposal to be in the ‘major’ category.

Guisborough Town Council has also objected, stating the scheme would be contrary to various elements of planning policy.

It said it was outside the development limits of Guisborough and also highlighted the site’s proximity to the North York Moors National Park.

Guisborough ward councillor Bill Suthers made similar points in his objection, stating the planned housing would extend beyond the residential boundary of Guisborough as defined by the council’s Local Plan.

He also said it would “negatively impact” on the national park setting and have the same impact on improvements to the Guisbrough Forest Walkway, in Pinchinthorpe. 

A design and access statement compiled on behalf of the applicant, accompanying the submission, said the development proposals could make a significant contribution to addressing local housing needs.

It said it would be a “high-quality and inherently sustainable neighbourhood of 117 dwellings, providing a variance of family homes”.

The site offered “excellent opportunities for the creation of a distinctive residential neighbourhood set within an attractive framework of open space and landscape”.

An excellent range of local facilities and services lay nearby in Guisborough, the statement said, as well as access to Middlesbrough and Nunthorpe via the A171.

It said a “key entrance” to be created on the northern boundary would comfortably accommodate cars, pedestrians and bicycles and be capable of servicing the site and providing a link to neighbouring communities.

Streets in the development  would be supplemented by a number of hard and soft public spaces, alongside a network of pedestrian and cycle routes and existing public rights of way.

The statement also said existing hedgerow and trees that run along the perimeter of, and through, the site will be retained where possible and enhanced. 

Redcar and Cleveland Council is having to navigate Government targets which last year determined more than 600 new homes should be built and completed in the borough each year, a 156 per cent increase on the previous 234.

Council chiefs have said the target is achievable if the right sites are allocated for development, but the authority will also have to demonstrate a five year supply in order that the target can be delivered, something that will not be possible until the adoption of a new Local Plan, expected some time in 2027.

This could lead to a “corridor of uncertainty” whereby would-be developers submit applications on unallocated land.

Last June the council issued a “call for sites” writing letters to landowners in the borough with about 100 submissions being received and subject to initial assessment.

Current housing completion targets, which extend over 15 years, mean the council could have to plan for as many as 10,000 new homes – the size of a small town – which would represent a 16% increase in the borough’s housing stock.