New children’s home to open in Toronto near Bishop Auckland

Sunbridge Childcare will provide care to two children aged between six and 17 years old at the property in The Paddock, Toronto. 

The planning application was supported by Councillor Cathy Hunt, Durham County Council’s cabinet member for children and young people’s services, who said it will provide “much-needed” accommodation and it aligns with the council’s care emergency pledge. 

But a local petition signed by 200 people objected to the children’s home conversion. Residents warned that the area is a quiet family village with many elderly people and children, and is not suitable for a children’s home. 

Those concerns were supported by county councillor Tom Redmond, Reform member for Bishop Auckland, who said the number of responses showed how strongly residents felt about the suitability of the location. 

He told the committee: “Residents are not against supporting vulnerable children; their concern is the steady change within their community and the feeling that the area is carrying more than its fair share of supporting institutional abuse.”

Joy Allen, Durham’s Police and Crime Commissioner, said the county has “reached saturation point” and cannot continually place children in accommodation that isn’t appropriate to their needs. 

But staff at Sunbridge insisted its latest facility is the “right environment for children to settle and succeed”. 

The committee was told that the day-to-day operation of the home is closely aligned with that of a family house.  

Nick Astaire, from Sunbridge, said: “We believe strongly in community and being good neighbours. We are not absentee operators; we are locally engaged, accountable, and visible. Our homes operate as closely to traditional family homes as possible. 

“We are not a drain on the police and have had zero callouts in the last 12 months.”

Approving the scheme, Councillor Michael Stead, Liberal Demcorat member for Aycliffe North and Middridge, said: “In my experience, in my ward, there’s been next to no issues when we’ve had approvals like this, especially with professional companies. 

“This property ticks every single box. The applicants aren’t being overly zealous with the number of children they want to put in there.” 

Also backing the proposal, Reform’s Jill Campbell added: “There is a need for residential provision with places like this. I don’t feel this is a case where there are sufficient reasons to say no. It looks like a good proposal.”