East Durham College housing plans expected to be refused
He said the plans would "repurpose a neglected area and generate revenues to enable the college to continue to deliver high-quality academic and sports provision, as well as much-needed housing".
'Poor design'
The site was last used as a playing field in 2019, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.In its planning statement the college said the field was overgrown and it had no "surplus funds or intention" to reuse it as a playing pitch.In his recommendation to the council, Mr Spurgeon said the proposed development would lead to the loss of about two hectares (7.4 acres) of playing fields and the application did not show a surplus of such facilities in the area.Sport England objected to the plans for the same reason.Mr Spurgeon said the development was of a "poor design" when assessed against the council's County Durham Plan Building for Life Supplementary Planning Document.He said it "would not be possible for an appropriate layout for something numerically close to 54 dwellings" to be built while adhering to the guidelines.The plans would also require prominent trees to be cut down and the development would cause significant harm to biodiversity in the area, Mr Spurgeon said.
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