Plans for 160 homes on farmland submitted

Plans for up to 160 homes on fields which have been agricultural land since the 1800s have been submitted.

MD Bailey Will Trust and TCC Plant want to build homes on the land north of Darlington Back Lane, Stockton, proposing "tree-lined streets" and "wildlife crossings".

In a statement to Stockton Council, the developers said the site was part of the area's Local Plan - which guides planning decisions - and up to 169 homes could be built on it.

It said likely ecological impacts included loss of habitats, disturbance to wildlife "through increased noise, light and human presence", and the risk of creatures such as badgers and hedgehogs getting trapped.

Further to the housing plans, the statement said the development would also include community buildings and pledged "new green infrastructure including cycle routes and footpaths" on the site off Yarm Back Lane.

Developers said the 24-acre (9.71 hectare) site had been agricultural fields since 1856, but was allocated as residential use in the Yarm Back Lane and Harrowgate Masterplan 2015.

They proposed 32 homes as affordable housing, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The construction would likely have a "low to moderate adverse impact" on the landscape, they said, but would be lessened by measures including green corridors and hedgerows.

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