Plan for 100 homes at Toft Hill 'just too much for village to take'

A BID to build 100 homes in a Teesdale village has triggered a raft of objections. 
Developers have put in outline planning permission to build the two-storey homes on farmland off the A68 at Holme Farm, in Toft Hill. 
But frustrated villagers have castigated the plans amid fears of increased risks from the main road and a lack of amenities. Father-of-four Jason Evans lives in a new home which backs on to Holme Farm.
He said: “The A68 is already busy. I bought this house with an empty back field and now their putting plans in for an estate – it’s not the best at all.
“We haven’t the amenities in Toft Hill – they want to build another 100 houses with no shop, no post office and one bus an hour to Bishop Auckland.
“The A68 gets patched up regularly – it’s the main route to Scotland apart from the A1 on this side so it’s already congested.”
A design statement by York-based planning agents AAH Planning Consultants outlined how developers want to create a single access point off the A68. 
The supporting statement added: “The proposal would provide much-needed housing in an area which lacks a five-year housing land supply and therefore provide dwellings to meet the needs of present and future generations.”
A separate application to build an access route to Holme Farm was rejected last year due to the loss of parking.
Villager of more than 40 years Peter Elliott had similar parking concerns.
He said: “It’s extra traffic and it’s overcrowded as it is.
“You are going to lose at least three car spaces either side of the entrance – I know they want to make extra spaces but I would not park behind that wall. 
“The main concern should be safety.”
No fewer than 20 objections have been submitted to the county council as of Monday (February 27).
However, mother-of-two Katrina Norman was keen to see the plan go ahead.
The 25-year-old said: “I am for it – I am really good friends with my neighbours and I know how upset they are about it but it will help us buy a house. There are no suitable houses in Toft Hill that we’d want to spend so much money on.”
In the design statement, the agents pointed to The Dog and Gun pub, Low Etherley Post Office and the Village Store as services and facilities.
However, all three have closed in the past few years.
County councillor Heather Smith was disappointed with the out of date information.
She added: “They should make more effort to present up to date and correct information on their statement.”