Consett is about to become the stage for a right old dust-up over some houses. And not just any houses, mind you, but 71 of the buggers on what used to be a steelworks. Because nothing says “prime real estate” quite like the ghost of industry past.
The Battle of Bungalow Hill
Project Genesis, a local development firm with a name that sounds like it should be launching rockets instead of building houses, had this brilliant idea to plonk down a mix of two, three, and four-bed bungalows. They probably thought they’d be hailed as heroes. Spoiler alert: they weren’t. Durham County Council took one look at these plans and said, “Not on my watch, sunshine.” They reckoned it’d make the roads even more of a nightmare than they already are. And let’s face it, nobody wants more traffic. It’s like voluntarily choosing to be stuck behind a caravan on a country lane.
The People Have Spoken (And They’re Not Happy)
Now, the locals, bless ’em, they weren’t having any of it either. 116 of them put pen to paper to say, “No thanks.” They’re quite fond of walking their dogs there, you see. One resident, Anne Bowen, was worried about whether she’d be safe in her garden due to the “toxic” land. I mean, who doesn’t want their begonias with a side of heavy metals?
The Developers Strike Back
Project Genesis, not ones to take “no” for an answer, have now demanded a public inquiry. Six whole days of it. They reckon it’s the only way to “ensure thorough exploration of the available evidence.” Translation: “We’re going to argue until you give in or we all die of old age.”
So, there you have it. Consett is gearing up for the showdown of the century. In one corner, we have the developers, armed with blueprints and promises of a “highly sustainable location.” In the other, we have the council and residents, brandishing dog leads and traffic surveys. Who will win? Will Consett get 71 new homes or keep its dog-walking paradise? Will Anne Bowen ever feel safe in her garden again?
Think they’ve sold every phase of housing by telling the buyers no more homes would be built in front of their own countryside views , only to have a new phase of homes being built right where they said they wouldn’t
Mark Jones i’d see your conveyancing solicitor about that…it’s possibly misrepresentation … but then they sold houses two hundred metres from where they knew they’d planned an incinerator,
Based on view and location and amenity, as their PG director sold his house there before plans went in, so it speaks volumes as to them all…
Mark Jones unless you own whats directly in front of your house you have no real control of what happens to it in the future
Melanie Bowman 100% but I can remember very similar posts when the last major phase of building housing was signed off
I think it was the bungalows that had people up in arms , I do remember the remainder of the free areas was going to be left untouched apart from new paths ect for walking which they’ve partly done
This was obviously the original reason for not building the Academy school down there Aswel , how much money will have been made from housing down there ?
The Academy must already be looking like it can’t keep up with demand for school placements as the General Consett area including Delves Lane keeps on growing
Mark Jones it wasnt lack of space that stopped the academy going there…bearing in mind it was built well before a lot of the phases…personally I wouldnt want a house on the works..hearing the rumours of whats underneath and seeing what they did dig up
Melanie Bowman property developers dream getting their hands on land like that , probably at a discounted price due to what’s under the surface and the council / Government are quids in from taxes raised
Quite a few areas around the country have followed the same regeneration plans
Housing with a retail park , Morrisons and Tesco built new stores on the back of the promise of new housing
Isn’t it classed as brownfield land?
South Tyneside council where I now live are building on green belt!
James Summerson-Hollywood
Exactly…
People seem to forget it’s all essentially a “brown field site” none of it is green belt or sssi or anything else of any merit, it all used to be a Steelworks an industrial site, development of it will go on until there’s none of the designated brown field site left… really boils my pee all these nimbys crying about their views being spoilt by development their green spaces being taken away, it’s all been in the pipeline for decades. I wonder if all the same folk would be coming to the town if the works was still there 🤔 I doubt it, and consequently we’d have alot less whingers in the place.
Philip Price as I said talking through your backside find the original development plans then talk as if you know
Colin Churcher
As you’re well aware… original plans and what you end up with can be two very different things, unless of course you live with your head up your backside where 5hit always looks the same regardless of the passage of time 🤣
Obviously a friend of Mr Muter and Mr Clarke who have over the years filed there pockets as directors of Genesis Project, land that was Trusted for the benefit of people of Consett
Colin Churcher
Nowt to do with me pal…
Any of the gifted land had caveats as to it’s original intended use at the time and future use, caveats and considerations that were changed or completely ignored by local and county councils. Whether people have lined their pockets from within project Genesis I wouldn’t care to guess on but it seems many other people are happy to guess and accuse, dangerous ground should any of the accused feel aggrieved.
Project Genesis is what it is and has delivered a helluva lot for the area some of it of great merit some of it not so, for whatever it’s delivered and whoever has been paid for services rendered there’ll always be people within the community who smell a rat and will perpetuate the conspiracy theories, some “organisation” had to be created to lead the regeneration project as has to happen in other areas of industrial decline and in every location you find the same type of people who aren’t happy no matter what’s done, proving you can’t keep everyone happy and those that aren’t happy need someone to blame or accuse of foul play making themselves look like simpletons.
If there has been foul play and people can prove it then in the fullness of time it will be dealt with, until that time people should be careful of the rumours and lies that they spread.
Tons of Blue Asbestos buried and hidden away on the site, should bring some interesting litigation in the future, when all of those that have fed their pockets will have long gone
Colin Churcher
Hearsay…
Unless you can point people to it 🤷♂️
Loads of stupid rumours like that about, if it were true it would’ve leached into water courses etc by now and still be doing so.
Philip Price I know those that worked on demolition of steel works and buried it, 3 tons got dumped down a mine shaft far side of Durham, when they got caught rest was buried in clay lined pit on site, there’s a map in County Hall was originally at Derwentside Council, it shows all the hot spots of stuff that was burieds, somewhere I have a copy from when I was part of CPRE, will have to start digging out all the paperwork I have
The whole area is earmarked for housing. If you’ve bought a property off the new development here you’ll be surrounded by more as the new development carries on.
Greg Coltman
Exactly…
People seem to forget it’s all essentially a “brown field site” none of it is green belt or sssi or anything else of any merit, it all used to be a Steelworks an industrial site, development of it will go on until there’s none of the designated brown field site left… really boils my pee all these nimbys crying about their views being spoilt by development their green spaces being taken away, it’s all been in the pipeline for decades. I wonder if all the same folk would be coming to the town if the works was still there 🤔 I doubt it, and consequently we’d have alot less whingers in the place.
Interesting to know who is behind project genesis, not the charity but the commercial entity
Johnny Sunderland Look them up on the Companies House website.
Tom Gorman certainly are
None of the houses built on the steel company site should have been built. The land was supposed to have been used to enhance the lives of the people of consett.
How many against the building live in Templetown or on Berry Edge ?…personally I d have preferred the entire site left as a Country Park
Melanie Bowman I’m sure that’s originally what project Genesis stated was going to happen but money talks
Mark Jones
Project Genesis made no such statement.
The brief once the site was cleared of industrial detritus was to redevelop for industrial and residential use, it was all classed as a brown field site with all of the relaxed permissions that brings…
You’d be crying your little hearts out if anyone started submitting plans for the real green belt around the area, thankfully though there’s still plenty of old industrial land left to build on and fast forward I say 😉
Philip Price well slowly but surely they are building on green belt land , Delves lane has 3 areas where there are building or scheduled to start building housing
At the end of the day we all know money talks and any bit of land is fair game if the bribes are big enough
Mark Jones
Take that up with the farmers/landowners who are being seduced by the developers offers 🤷♂️ as you say, everyone has their price. There are still some parcels of land in and around Delves that would probably qualify as brown field having once been involved in mining so sometimes what may look like green belt, is not.
Philip Price Talking through your backside, you obviously never seen the original development plans
Colin Churcher
Development plans have morphed and been adapted over the last 35 years to fit what developers and local authorities have deemed desirable or even possible, maybe you should take your head out of your backside if you think things don’t change over time.
Is that the start of Eastenders
Gary Dodd he has no boundaries
David Clark hopefully gets the same result as the incinerator
We need housing but not near us me them
Ken Dallison
The…
Not
In
My
Back
Yard
Brigade want their idea of eutopia to be unaltered by development of any kind even if development was always the plan but they didn’t research the area enough before moving to Consett.
Philip Price yep
As if we didn’t know that was in the planning……can’t imagine it will be the last extension either.
More councillors getting back handers
We need more houses 🤷♂️
William Roach what for all the immigrants?
Ron O’Keefe Oh piss off.
Ron O’Keefe so we don’t?
Brilliant. A chance to bring more people to our lovely town.
More people from all backgrounds and cultures.
More investment.
MORE COMMUTERS AND MORE TRAFFIC.
Loo ad see if rah has anything to do with this project – then ok at the names of the shareholders of said company – you will not be surprised !!!!!
Gary Dodd let’s see what happens eh….
David Clark I’m making my banner now 😂
Gary Dodd ask Gavin Stocker to hold one end of it…..
Nimbys out in force and the obligatory hate monger.
Need more houses for mass immigration. Where else should they go?
Another towns problem?
Labour changing rules about building on brown and green belts, to make it easier to push them through.
People get what they vote for.
These have already been knocked back, and they want a 6 day public enquiry?
Can we have a 6 day public enquiry into the original promises made by Project Genisis, and the fact they’ve lied to sell off all the land for housing instead. With non of the original plans or promises made? Against the wishes of the people off Consett. Without a suitable infrastructure to support the extra housing and population?
When the incinerator was proposed. I’m sure i saw somewhere people suggesting to boycott anyone or businesses involved with project genisis. Is there a list of people/business’s that have links to project genisis that can be boycotted/avoided in protest? Who are these people?
Investigation into those people running Project Genesis would be more appropriate who are these people who elected them, did they just decide themselves – it’s time to say STOP we are full and without any investment into infrastructure nothing else should be built. enough is enough.
Another ten years and you won’t have any free green space. It’s not just Consett or even the north east it’s the hole country
This country unfortunately is on a downward trajectory I fear for the future of the next generation . Why do the politicians ( all of them) not care about the average person and the state of society
Anthony Horsfall back room deals, pay outs in briefcases and good old fashioned graft.
Totally agree they have agreed for company’s to build on every bit of green area we have, when the town centre is a disgrace, school, doctors and dentist totally full time to stop
Always put bungalows in an out of the way place I service bus a day there unless you have a car your stuck if you can’t walk far
Sandra Mawson then they do the endless funny joke of having a garage just slightly too small to fit a car in.
They should be building industrial estates. More space for manufacturing jobs in town. I know they took the full catheter bag and started spraying back in our faces with how many broken promises they have gone through at this point.