Planning application submitted for Burtree Garden Village arboretum
Hellens Group and Homes England have submitted a planning application for the creation of an arboretum at ...
Burtree Garden Village is located on the northwestern edge of Darlington.
The site is approximately 500 acres in total and presents an exciting opportunity to support the sustainable growth of Darlington through the creation a new mixed-use community which will deliver well designed homes alongside extensive public open space, local facilities and amenities, sustainable movement networks and employment opportunities, whilst also enhancing the quality and diversity of natural habitats.
In recognition of the quality of the vision for the site set out in early master planning work, Hellens Group and Hellens Residential were awarded Garden Communities status for Burtree Garden Village by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government in June 2019. In early 2020 Homes England, the governments housing accelerator, invested in the site to acquire just under 200 acres of land that is important to unlocking the site.
Homes England have subsequently worked with Hellens Group in preparing a comprehensive masterplan for the Garden Village to establish a high quality vision for the site. This will inform a planning application for the first phase of development in Winter 2022, the masterplan will also be used to guide subsequent phases of development to ensure that the vision for the site is maintained in the future.
The planning application for the first phase of development will include full detail of key road, sustainable drainage and landscaping, this important infrastructure is to be delivered upfront to ensure that the aspiration for high standards of place making and design quality are embedded in the project right from the outset.
2,000 New Homes
400 Affordable Homes
200,000 sqm of Employment Space
Land reserved for Primary School
Village Hub, Hall, Shops & Cafe
Play Area
Green Space
Community Allotments & Orchard
Sports Pitches
Later Living Accommodation
Central Hub
Potential Park & Ride Facility/ Rail Halt
The Garden Communities status awarded to the proposed development provides a framework to assist in delivering a high quality development and landscape design that respects the existing landscape setting, creating a strong connection between the new community and the surrounding environment. Burtree Garden Village will also help create a new community where people can live, work and exercise, striving for a healthier and a more sustainable future.
In developing our proposals for the site, we have strived to embrace the existing landscape setting and character wherever possible. Our aim is to have a landscape led development where homes and development will work with, complement and enhance the existing landscaping and ecology features of the site, turning characteristics that would often be seen as constraints into opportunities which contribute to the overall character and quality of the devleopment.
There will also be a significant provision of open space integrated within the development, including a number of village greens, landscape and habitat corridors and a centrally located park.
As a result of this landscape led approach the development is expected to exceed the 10% biodiversity net gain target set out in the Environment Act 2021.