Dear Sir,

There is a plan ‘in principle’ to develop a greenfield site at Low Copelaw on the other side of the A167 opposite Moore Lane.,

From my perspective, albeit without knowing the detail, I regard this as an unwelcome development, as I feel we have enough brownfield, and we should avoid further encroachment into the countryside.

Newton Aycliffe has already grown to a substantial size which seems larger than merited by its infrastructure. The A167 and roads in town already seem too congested at certain times of the day. The town does not have the facilities or infrastructure of a Darlington, and indeed Darlington itself has become overcongested because it has grown beyond its infrastructure, and it would be awful if Newton Aycliffe went down the same route.

This development would place further pressure on the A167 in particular, as well as town facilities in general. Furthermore, is there really a demand for further new homes in Newton Aycliffe? The housing market isn’t exactly buoyant at the moment, and further supply could weaken the values of existing properties and/or the ability of homeowners to sell.

John Snowball