Low Moorsley: Long-awaited housing estate at Coal Bank Farm shrinks and gets green light

Sunderland City Council’s planning and highways committee, at a meeting this week, approved the application for the grassland adjacent to Coal Bank Farm, on the southern edge of the Low Moorsley area.

The land has primarily been used for the storage of disused farm machinery and rough grazing.

The reserved matters application, submitted by Mr C Ford, was seeking to gain permission for the appearance, layout, design and landscaping of the housing proposal, which would allow work to take place.

It comes after outline planning permission for the development of the land for 40 residential dwellings was approved by the council in July 2017.

This “established the principle of the development for the site” which is also allocated for housing in the council’s unitary development plan, according to planning officers.

Initially the reserved matters submission showed a development of 40 dwellings, the maximum permitted by the outline consent, however an amendment to the scheme reduced this to 39.

The proposals were unanimously approved by the council’s planning and highways committee at its meeting on Tuesday (April 29).

The development will comprise detached and semi-detached two-storey dwellings, including 26 two bedroom properties, nine three bed and four four bed homes.

In line with the outline plan, the access into the development is to be taken from Ennerdale Street.

Council planning officers had recommended the plan for approval, ruling “the proposed design and appearance of the new dwellings is acceptable and that the properties will relate satisfactorily to their surroundings.”

They added the proposals will also “appropriately respect the amenity of existing dwellings in the vicinity of the site” and “the proposed layout and landscaping arrangements are considered to be acceptable.”

Speaking at the meeting, Councillor Martin Haswell noted one of the planning documents showed the bricks for the new homes would be a “beige colour”, while the rest of the properties in the area are a “traditional darker red brick.”

He noted this could mean the new properties “stand out like a sore thumb” and therefore suggested a darker red brick is used to “blend in.”

Council planning officers noted they still need to finalise conditions around the materials being used for the development and the issue will be picked up through that process.

Meanwhile the planning agent for the proposals, who attended the meeting, said the suggestion to use darker red bricks is something they will put to the applicant.

Reports from council officers noted the initial outline planning application was accompanied by a section 106 legal agreement securing four affordable dwellings as part of the development.

It also secured a contribution of £28,040 towards provision, improvement and maintenance of off-site play facilities at High Moorsley play area.

The meeting heard land to the south of the application site, beyond Coal Bank Farm, also has outline permission for up to 82 homes after previously being approved by councillors.