Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council

Village Study

Planning the Future of Rural Villages: 2012 Update

The Spatial Planning Team has prepared a Village Study as part of the evidence base for the Local Development Framework (LDF). In order to establish the levels of facilities available within the Borough's rural villages, an audit was carried out. Following this further analysis and consultation has been undertaken looking at the wider sustainability issues of the villages.

The study assessed the level of services and facilities in rural villages, including public transport links to other centres. A comparison of services available in each village found Stillington to be the best served, whilst Aislaby has the fewest facilities. The Council has used the study to develop its housing policy, which does not propose to allocate sites for housing in rural areas before 2024. The report and an executive summary are available to view in the Additional Resources section at the bottom of this webpage.

The 'Planning the Future of Rural Villages' study was completed October 2008. The Spatial Planning Team have since produced a 2012 update to the study to ensure that decisions are based on the most up-to-date information. Parish Councils were consulted on the accuracy of the audit of services and facilities available to villages, which has informed the update.