Have your say on Copelaw housing proposal

Background

Part of our Vision for 2035 is that County Durham is a place offering jobs, long and independent lives and well connected and supported communities. Providing high-quality housing is part of this. It is also one of the key aims of our Housing Strategy, supported by planning policy in the County Durham Plan (CDP) and the Great Aycliffe Neighbourhood Plan (PDF, 6 MB) (GANP). The CDP works alongside the GANP in setting out the needs and aspirations for the area, and planning applications in the Great Aycliffe area need to be considered against both documents.

The Church Commissioners for England are working together with us, and with the support of Homes England and the Department for Education, to deliver a high quality, sustainable housing development site at Copelaw, Newton Aycliffe. They are a registered charity, established to manage the Church of England's historic buildings, and are responsible for providing financial support for the work and mission of the Church of England across the country. They are responsible for managing a property portfolio that includes commercial, rural and residential property, as well as strategic land, forestry and indirect property investments.

The applicant for the Copelaw planning application is ourselves (as the landowner), and the Church Commissioners for England. Our Statement of Community Involvement says that applicants should hold public consultation before submitting the planning application to the planning authority. This helps to try and address any concerns raised by the public and may lead to changes to the proposed planning application before being submitted.

What we are proposing

The location

Copelaw is located to the east of Newton Aycliffe beyond the A167 and has a site area of 98.6 hectares. The CDP allocates land to provide for up to 1,435 new homes (1,343 houses and 92 extra care apartments) and supporting facilities. The A167 provides an important north to south road link connecting Darlington and Durham. Surrounding the site to the north and east is agricultural land. Ricknall Lane borders the site along its southern boundary.

The existing Autism Centre and the Aycliffe Secure Centre will remain on the site and are in the north of the site. They will not be included within the planning application boundary.

The site will be accessed from Central Avenue and Ricknall Lane. Safe pedestrian crossing points will be created across the A167.

Site plan of Copelaw building proposal (PDF, 797 KB)

The development

This project aims to:

• deliver up to 1,343 new houses and up to 92 extra care apartments which meet the needs of residents, including affordable housing and adaptable homes suitable for older people
• improve our transport network to reduce congestion and provide sustainable means of travel including walking, cycling and bus routes
• provide opportunities to improve our ecology and green space by offering a network of public open spaces, play areas and recreation areas
• build a new primary school and create a local centre which will provide local shops and services
• ensure that it does not adversely impact on the quality of the water in the River Tees

The development has to work within the proposed location and takes account of the importance of healthy living and the need to create sustainable communities.

• Homes: the site will include a mixture of house types, tenures such as owner-occupier or rented, and sizes, including 15% affordable homes and homes to meet the needs of older people and 66% will be built to accessible and adaptability standards - all homes will meet minimum space standards.
• Access: the access and crossing points are based on traffic data and modelling.
• Sustainable travel: there will be a network of cycling and walking routes throughout the site and the internal road layout will be designed to allow for bus use.
• Local facilities: to create a sustainable place, community facilities will include, such as:
  • a local centre including shops and services
  • a new primary school
  • allotments
  • play and sports pitches
  • green spaces
• Air quality: the site is not located in an Air Quality Management Area - air quality is mainly influenced by vehicle exhaust emissions and sustainable transport will be incorporated throughout the development.
• Noise: the main source of noise will come from traffic along the A167, so properties will be set back from it to ensure they will not be unduly affected. There may be some noise during the construction phase but this will be managed through construction working hours.
• Natural environment: the site will be designed to a high quality to ensure that healthy living and vibrant communities can be created, and will include:
  • attractive tree lined streets
  • a network of green spaces
  • facilities that compliment and link to the wider natural environment
• Landscape: there are no formal landscape designations affecting the site, so existing trees and hedgerows will be incorporated into the design including those along the A167. A detailed landscape and visual appraisal will be submitted with the planning application together with a landscape strategy.
• Ecology:  studies have been undertaken across the site and found that there are ground nesting birds (Curlew), so a new habitat will be created for them. The ecology and biodiversity will be improved with a target of at least 10% Biodiversity Net Gains.
• Heritage: there are no conservation areas or listed buildings affecting the site. Initial archaeological studies suggest that there are likely to be some features with local interest including the High Copelaw farm building which will be demolished to ensure high quality design across the site. The farm building will be investigated and recorded as appropriate.
• Drainage: the site has been assessed for flood risk - it falls within Flood Zone 1 which the Environment Agency defines as an area with the least risk of flooding. To ensure that the development does not increase the risk of flooding elsewhere, Sustainable Drainage Systems (SUDS) will be included to make sure that water is stored following rainfall and released into watercourses in a controlled way.
• Reducing impact: it will be checked that the development will not negatively affect the water quality of the River Tees
• Timescale: the development will be built in phases over the next 30 years by a combination of house builders

Have your say

What happens next

Survey feedback

We had a total of 114 responses - 100 from online surveys, eight from paper surveys and six from email.

We were also able to respond to many of the questions asked by members of the public, local businesses, service providers, councillors and the Town Council during the public consultation drop-in event, virtual session and at the Town Council meeting.

The main topics raised where around affordable and accessible housing, transport and parking including walking and cycling routes, energy efficiency, green infrastructure, ecology, drainage and town centre investment.

A full account of the consultation responses and how we have taken the comments on board will be detailed in full within the Statement of Community Involvement which will be submitted as part of the planning application in summer 2024.