Villagers are divided over a proposal to build 70 houses on farmland amid hopes it will resolve a long-term issue of sewage flooding onto properties.

While some residents of East Cowton, between Northallerton and Darlington, said social housing provider Adderstone Living's plan to develop affordable houses off Birkby Lane will provide a much-needed boost to local services and infrastructure, others fear it will exacerbate drainage issues.

The proposal, which is set to be considered by North Yorkshire Council on Thursday, comes 12 years after consent was granted for 45 homes on the site provided drainage infrastructure was improved.

An officer's report to the council's Richmond constituency committee states that, due to the relatively small size of the development and the onerous infrastructure requirements, no developer came forward to develop the site due to alleged viability issues.

The combined drainage system for the village ends at the pumping station on Main Street, from where it is pumped to the treatment works. When surface water inundates the system the pumps cannot cope with the flows and the storage tanks become full after a period which backs up the drains in Daykn Close.

Yorkshire Water has tried to resolve the problem by building a tank below the village green, which has improved the situation, but it remains a problem during times of heavy rainfall.

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The officer's report states the proposed design includes a new surface water drain on Main Street, which will run alongside and be connected to the existing gullies and drains to alleviate surface water flooding currently experienced on occasions of extremely high and sudden rainfall.

The proposed scheme has been calculated to allow for rainfall "in excess of a one in 100 year event".

The report states: "This is a very pressing situation for local residents who have sought improvements to the system for a number of years owing to inundation of foul waters on relative regular occasion."

The plan has attracted some support in the village, with one resident lodging a letter of support stating: "Additional housing would be a huge boost to village life. Additional housing would bring additional families. Something which the school, pub and village shop would all benefit from."

In a letter of support, the parish council said in light also of historic problems in the village concerning flooding, that drainage calculations must be robust and accurate with a view to ensuring adequate drainage infrastructure.

Nevertheless, other residents have objected to the increased size of the development, saying it is not in keeping with the rest of the village.

One resident wrote: "The reason for this increase would appear to be purely economic rather than socially motivated. The lengthy historical flooding issues of East Cowton are well documented and ongoing.

"No matter what revised flood alleviation plans are put in place, the one thing that can never be altered is the topography of the village plus the excessive natural flow of surface water through and around the village."

The officer's report states the development fails to meet all of the requirements of policy owing to its scale, resulting in "a harmful impact on the character of the settlement".

However, they state the development would improve surface water management in the village, providing relief from a long-term issue of surface water inundation to the foul sewer resulting in local flooding in homes and gardens

Recommending the proposal be approved, the officer's report concludes: "It is clear that Yorkshire Water are not in a position to resolve these issues and that they are otherwise satisfied with the performance of the foul network.

"However, there remains the issue of inundation of surface water into the foul network which results in foul water flooding nearby properties.

"It is considered that the benefits of the proposed development outweigh the identified harm."