Mowden Hall in Darlington was an office block with grounds that were originally part of a larger country house estate. In 2019, permission was granted for construction of 30 new homes. TEP has supported the entire re-development process on behalf of Homes England and Galliford Try.
TEP managed the vacant office block from 2016 once it was acquired by Homes England. We organized security, utility and asbestos surveys and landscape management of the vacated building and grounds with an emphasis on managing health and safety risks. Following demolition of the office block in 2017, TEP continued to manage the site for Homes England.
The former country house, now the Marchbank Free School, stands alongside the site of the office block. The grounds of Mowden Hall and the Free School have extensive tree cover with many specimen trees dating back to the mid to late Victorian era when the country house was built. The grounds were subject to Darlington’s first Tree Preservation Order, dating back to 1951!
In 2017, TEP produced a Tree Constraints, Ecological Walkover Assessment, and Heritage Assessment Reports to inform Homes England and potential developers of constraints across the site.
In 2018, Galliford Try became the preferred developer for Mowden Hall. They commissioned TEP to undertake an Arboricultural Impact Assessment for their proposed layout, and following discussions with TEP’s arborists, Galliford Try have made great efforts in minimising tree removals, whilst making development viable. An extensive tree stock is being retained to ensure the site’s excellent amenity value continues. New trees will be planted within the development to mitigate tree removals.
TEP also produced an Arboricultural Method Statement that covers tree works, tree fencing and ground protection, and special construction techniques where works lie within the tree root protection area.
Darlington Borough Council granted planning permission for 30 new homes in March 2019.
Tree loss on development sites in the Darlington area has recently been prominent in the media. TEP further supported Galliford Try through the planning process by attending a site meeting with councillors to answer their queries such that planning was subsequently approved with no amendments being required to the arboricultural reports.
