Darlington housing development scheme achieves garden village status

A new housing development scheme in Darlington has been awarded garden village status by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Burtree Garden Village in Faverdale is one of only 19 large scale developments in the country to have been granted the status.

It is thought that the development will see 2000 new homes built by 2035 and anticipated that over 6000 jobs will be created in the process.

Work is expected to start on the site in 2020 and the developer behind the scheme is Hellens Group. They say that achieving the garden village status will help the project to bring important economic, environmental and social benefits to the area.

Government launched the garden communities initiative in 2018 with the hope of stimulating large scale new developments which create sustainable communities for people to live and work.

With an emphasis on green spaces and high-quality landscaping, Burtree garden village will also see the development of a care home, retail facilities and space for a new primary school.

Gavin Cordwell-Smith, chief executive of Hellens Group, said: “It is tremendous news that Government has taken the decision to support our ambitious vision to create a new Garden Village community at Faverdale.

“Burtree Garden Village will have a transformational impact on the local area bringing much-needed new homes and jobs.

“We now look forward to working with all of the key stakeholders to bring forward this high-quality development which will offer an outstanding place to live and work.”