Plans have been proposed to build 400 houses SOUTH of the Parkway on a greenfield site bounded by Flatts Lane Country Park. The proposal was announced by Theakston Land within days of a government inspector approving 320 houses on land to the adjacent East near Ormesby Bank. A month prior to this, Theakston carried out work at Flatts Lane which they told the public was agricultural and not for housing. This resulted in the installation of a steel barrier, destruction of a well used footpath/ bridleway plus the felling of many mature trees and most controversially the filling in of a long established pond. Theakston had obviously been lying to the public and had been preparing the land for development. They have not yet submitted a planning application but it is expected soon.

We believe this development would mean the loss of wildlife habitat and the breaching of an important buffer from the urbanised environment to the North. We believe the 'benefits' to the Country Park that the developer is proposing (see below) will be cancelled out if the housing estate comprising 400 houses and approx. 800 cars and 1600 people is established next to it.

We also believe strongly that the development will mark the beginning of a domino effect that could result in the loss of land all the way to Eston. Other concerns are the impact of an extra 800 cars on an already busy road plus the building of houses near pylons and increased risk of flooding.