Plans to construct 282 houses in Peterlee may get the green light from Durham County Council at a planning committee meeting on Friday.

The prospective development site is a 19-hectare area in the North East Industrial Estate, largely vacant or underutilised with some existing commercial and industrial units.

It is surrounded by residential areas, a cemetery, open spaces, and agricultural fields.

Written details of the application suggest that the main access would be from the A1086/Thorpe Road and a secondary access from Armstrong Road.

There are plans to designate a large proportion of the site as Conservation Grassland to offset ecological impacts.

Most read

Get the latest news, sports, and entertainment delivered straight to your device by subscribing to The Northern Echo here.

The report says the planning application aligns with various parts of the National Planning Policy Framework including sustainable development, decision-making, delivering a sufficient supply of homes, and conserving the natural and historic environment.

Public consultation, however, raised queries regarding potential traffic impacts, loss of green space, and strain on local services.

Highways, Spatial Policy, and Environmental Health departments reviewed the plans and deemed the proposal acceptable with conditions to minimise potential negative impacts and implement necessary mitigation measures.

Lastly, further applications will be necessary to address the four reserved matters: Appearance, Landscaping, Layout, and Scale.

The report concludes that the proposed development is acceptable in principle, subject to conditions that include compliance with policies related to sustainable transport, design, housing mix, and environmental protection.

According to the committee report, the planning application should be approved with conditions.