Housing development bid for historic village of Barningham

PERMISSION is being sought to move a crumbling wall one metre back to allow for new houses to be built in a historic Teesdale village.

Barningham Estate has asked for planning permission to move the wall near the entrance of the village from Greta Bridge so that safer access can be gained to a derelict farmyard where the houses might be built.
The estate, which is owned by Sir Edward Milbank, hopes to attract more young families to the village by building houses on two disused farmyards. Sir Edward said: “A holly tree’s roots have pushed the wall down and it is a bit of a mess. Stone has fallen on to the road but we have moved that to one side. We have asked for planning permission to move the wall back approximately a metre for two reasons – one to rebuild the crumbling wall that it is now damaged and, secondly, to set it back so that a future development will have a line of sight that is suitable. The village is very established and people rather appreciated this mysterious drive through into the village, and we don’t want to affect that. But we need to counter balance that with development.
“What village can grow and develop without development? When the whole country is clamouring for houses we have two disused, unusable agricultural farmyards that are crying out for housing.” He added a meeting was held in Barningham about 18 months ago so that people in the village could air their views about the proposed developments and it had, in general, been well received.
Sir Edward said: “Because of our love and affection for this area, we more than anyone else want it to be done beautifully and sensitively, and in the vernacular style and for the greater good of the village. We certainly appreciate that we are not the only people who live in this village, and we are not the only property owners in this village, so everybody has to have that say because we are affecting, hopefully for the good, the quality of this village.”