Appeal win for 300-home development in Sedgefield

A proposal to build 300 homes in Sedgefield has been given the go ahead by the Planning Inspectorate following two rejections from the county council.Story Homes and the Durham Diocesan Board of Finance appealed the latest decision made by Durham County Council (DCC) in April over the plans for land to the south of Eden Drive.This week the applicants won outline planning permission for up to 220 homes and full permission for 80 properties on appeal.Having already been the subject of 238 letters of objections earlier this year, the decision has been met with frustration. The announcement this week follows a six-day inquiry by planning inspector John Braithwaite held at Sedgefield Racecourse in August, where SVAG was granted permission to make representations.DCC turned the latest plan down on the grounds the development would cause harm to the character and setting of Sedgefield.Both the council and SVAG argued the site could be regarded as “valued landscape.”