A housing giant has been accused of making a “bloody mess” after hedges and trees were removed as part of efforts to create a vast new estate.

Taylor Wimpey is working on homes off Yarm Back Lane after 969 properties were approved by Stockton Council planning committee in a knife-edge vote last year. But Thornaby Mayor Cllr Steve Walmsley – who also sat on the panel – was shocked at what he saw on a recent trip past the development on his way to North Tees Hospital.

He told Monday night’s town council meeting: “What a bloody mess it is down there. There were lines of trees and hedgerows everywhere.”

The huge application was approved in a 7-6 vote last year after an effort to push back the decision due to traffic concerns on the stretch was defeated.

Claims the “sword of Damocles” was hanging over committee members were sounded in another meeting that year after it emerged £10m of road funding linked to the Elton Interchange hung on the plan being approved.

The housing makes up a big chunk of the huge “west Stockton sustainable urban extension” set to bring more than 2,500 new homes to the western flank of the town.

Disquiet was shared by Teesside radio giant Gary Phillipson in March after he too was surprised at the state of the stretch.

The Northern Echo:

In a Twitter post, he added: “I’m gobsmacked by the amount of trees and miles of old hedge line that has been cut down and removed from the field adjacent to the road… so sad to see.”

Past concerns arose over deer on the housing site amid worries some had been “trapped and frightened” earlier this year.

But the developer said the deer did not appear to be injured or distressed and it had created “several openings” to encourage them to leave of their own accord.

Stockton South MP Matt Vickers had opposed the original housing before it was approved.

The Conservative MP feared for animal habitats and was also upset with the state of the stretch.

Mr Vickers said: “The council should never have given this development the go ahead – churning up greenfield sites while brownfield sites in the town remain undeveloped.

“We warned of the impact on traffic, and the pressure that already exists on local facilities like doctors and dentists and the impact on local nature and wildlife – although I didn’t think for a minute the site would be ripped apart like it has.

“Hedges and trees ripped up with no regard for wildlife, or indeed the appearance of the site.”

When it came to the latest concerns on the lost hedgerows, Taylor Wimpey said it understood the concerns residents had.

A company spokesperson added: “We would like to assure them that the decision to remove the hedges was not taken lightly, and that we are committed to planting new landscaping in its place.

“It was agreed with Stockton Council (that) we would need to remove the hedges to facilitate the highway improvements. We have therefore ensured our plans for the development include a high quality, sustainable and deliverable buffer to the highway, as well as a significant amount of planting within the development itself

"We always endeavour to build our new homes in a considerate manner and minimise where possible any disruption.”

Fairfield councillor Maurice Perry said he’d complained about problems with mud from the development and the lost hedgerows for a while.

The Northern Echo:

He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service he’d been in contact with council officers.
Cllr Perry added: “I have kept an eye on it and I’m not totally happy with – but there are washers going down that road to clean it. They are doing something – but whether it’s enough, I do not know.

“I didn’t agree with this development – I don’t like building on greenfield sites.

“Bill (Woodhead) and I are keeping an eye on it, especially given the traffic at the north and south ends of Yarm Back Lane, to make sure they comply with the requirements.

“I’ve been on building sites throughout the world and you do get a lot of dirt – but there’s no excuse for it at all and it should be cleaned up on a continuous basis.”
 

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