A new affordable housing scheme has been approved after it was praised by councillors. 

The 65-home development will be built on the site of the former Greyhound track in Spennymoor and will be a mix of bungalows, two, three and four-bed homes. 

Councillors unanimously approved the proposal and welcomed the need for housing in the area. 

The former greyhound track was closed and demolished in the 1990s and has since become an anti-social behaviour hotspot, according to locals. The application site has been subject to several other proposals over the years, but none were built.

The Northern Echo: The 65-home development will be built on the site of the former Greyhound track in SpennymoorThe 65-home development will be built on the site of the former Greyhound track in Spennymoor (Image: Google)

A gym is set to be demolished to facilitate new access to the site. 

Housing developers Livin Homes and Hardwick Homes said the development will provide “100 per cent affordable housing”, available for rent or rent to buy. 

A statement added it would be a “high-quality development in a sustainable location, within walking distance of Spennymoor town centre and the services and facilities it provides, including extensive public transport connectivity, as well as a diverse range of shops to meet a range of needs.” 

There were no public objections to the proposal. 

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A Durham County Council planning meeting heard that both housing developers hope to replicate the success of a similar scheme in St Helen Auckland at the Spennymoor site. 

Cllr Eddy Adam welcomed the scheme, adding: “There is a real need for housing in this particular area and it will develop an area that really needs improving.” 

Work on the development is due to start next year.