Homes likely to go ahead despite school spot fears

Plans for dozens of new homes have been recommended for approval, despite concerns over the impact on places at a nearby school.

Gleeson Regeneration wants to build 83 houses on land at Grange Farm in Coxhoe, near Durham.

Coxhoe Parish Council, ward councillor Viv Anderson and Coxhoe Primary School all objected to the plans because of concerns about the impact on the school, which is just half a mile from the proposed development.

Durham County Council's planning committee has been recommended to approve the project, subject to conditions, when it meets on Tuesday.

Council documents predict families on the new estate would need six nursery places, 22 primary school places, 11 secondary places, one post-16 and a SEND place.

Due to a shortage of places at the nearby secondary Ferryhill and scarcity of SEND places, the developer would have to pay about £350,000 towards education provision.

Although there would not be enough capacity for primary school pupils at Coxhoe Primary School - the closest to the development - the council said there was enough capacity across four primary schools within a two-mile radius.

For this reason, they would have "no grounds" to request a financial contribution for primary education.

The parish council had asked Gleeson to make a voluntary contribution, but they replied they could only be bound by what the planning authority had requested.

The parish council said the move would leave the school oversubscribed and would mean children from new developments built closer to schools would be given places ahead of existing families.

It added Coxhoe Primary had plans for an extension, which if built would accommodate all pupils from the new development.

Anderson said: "[I have] seen first-hand how much this extension is required, as being taught in corridors and on a mezzanine level, is not conducive to the education requirements of these pupils."

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