West Farm The Village Hawthorn Seaham SR7 8SG Data via plota.co.uk

DM/25/03339/TCA - Trees in a Conservation Area Approved
Trees & landscaping

Proposal

T1 - Sycamore located in front garden. This tree has had previous work carried out by us in 2021. The new owner of the property reports that there are a number of branches overhanging the roof blocking light and causing excessive shade to the upstairs bathroom particularly when these branches are in full leaf. The owner also reports debris on the roof, in gutters and moss on roof tiles. Selected branches affecting the light and overhanging that section of the roof are to be removed and/or pruned back to a growth point to give clearance between the crown of T1 and the roof. See attached images showing the branches. T2 - Lime tree located in front garden. The tree has epicormic re growth following work carried out in 2021. Also the owner states that the lower left branch overhangs the neighbours footpath which results in excessive leaves covering the footpath and making slippery in wet weather. I understand the neighbour to be elderly. Required work is a 3 metre crown uplift to remove epicormic growth and removal of two lower branches. All tree works will be carried out in accordance with pruning cuts to BS3998. Data via plota.co.uk

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View original council record ↗Last checked

Application progress

✓
Received
28 Nov 2025
✓
Consultation
4 Dec 2025
✓
Approved
19 Dec 2025

Approved on 19 Dec 2025 · TPO/S211 (No objection) · Last checked 8 Oct 2026

Documents 2

Decision & officer reports 1

PDF S211 Delegated Report · 18 Dec 2025 View ↗

Plans & drawings 1

IMG LOCATION PLAN OS Extract · 28 Nov 2025 View ↗

All documents on the council site ↗

Site constraints 7

Grade II listed: West Farmhouse
List entry 1232032 · 4 m away · 3 more listed buildings within 150 m (3 Grade II)
Listed building consent is needed for work that affects the special interest of a listed building, inside or out, on top of planning permission. Setting can be a consideration for buildings nearby; there is no fixed radius.
Show the other 3 with distances
Historic England ↗
Hawthorn conservation area
Demolition needs planning permission and permitted development is restricted.
The council must give weight to preserving or enhancing the area's character and appearance. Not every council has published its boundaries as open data.
Agricultural land, grade 3a
Best and most versatile land (grades 1, 2 and 3a). Source: the Predictive Agricultural Land Classification Map (Defra and Natural England, 2025; the Welsh Government's Predictive ALC Map 2 in Wales), a model rather than a site survey. Natural England's Provisional ALC map (1:250,000, 1970s) agrees.
Where development of farmland is needed, policy prefers poorer land over the best and most versatile (grades 1, 2 and 3a). Three sources: Natural England's post-1988 field surveys, which are definitive where they exist; the Defra predictive map for England (2025) and the Welsh Government predictive map, modelled from the soil map with 3a and 3b split; and the 1970s provisional map, which planners and other services still show, coarser and with grade 3 undivided. Where the provisional and predicted grades disagree, treat the predicted grade as the current estimate and expect an application to carry its own survey.
Habitat network: Network Expansion Zone
Where habitat is joined up enough to work as a network. Context, not a constraint on its own.
Also on the record
National infrastructure project: Morven Hawthorn Pit Grid Connection Project, at pre-application; Coalfield, development low risk area; SSSI 457 m away: Hawthorn Dene SSSI.
Not affected
Outside flood zones 2 and 3 · Not green belt · No scheduled monument at the site

Checked on 8 October 2026. Historic England, the Environment Agency, Natural England, the Mining Remediation Authority, the Planning Inspectorate and council datasets, Open Government Licence. A boundary can run through a site and the council holds the definitive record: confirm with the council before relying on this.

Sales history 2

Last sold for £650,000 in September 2021. Detached house, freehold.

30 September 2021£650,000
19 April 2002£245,000

Sale prices from HM Land Registry's price paid record, matched to this application by its address.

Building

Floor area402 m² (4,327 sq ft)
Energy ratingC (79 out of 100), could reach B
PropertyDetached house, 8 habitable rooms
BuiltBefore 1900
HeatingBoiler and radiators, mains gas
WallsSandstone or limestone, as built, no insulation (assumed)

From the energy performance certificate lodged in July 2021, the latest held for this property. The building may have changed since. View the certificate

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28 May 2026Approved

Westfield Bungalow The Village Hawthorn Seaham SR7 8SG

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DM/26/01354/TCA

Important details

Council
Durham
Application type
Trees in a Conservation Area
Postcode
SR7 8SG
Received
28 Nov 2025
Validated
28 Nov 2025
Ward
Murton
Parish
Hawthorn
Case officer
Show
Target decision
9 Jan 2026
Decision
Raise No Objection
Decision date
19 Dec 2025
Decision level
TPO/S211 (No objection)
Applicant
Show
Agent
Tree Wise Men (NE) Ltd

How this decision compares

Decided in 21 days from validation, 13 days faster than Durham's median of 34 for tree and landscaping works. Approved, as 91% of tree and landscaping works here are.

95%decided within 8 weeks
91%approved
340decided in the last year

Plota live figures for tree and landscaping works decided by Durham in the last twelve months, from validation. Durham decision record →

Public comments

No public comments yet.

Last counted 8 Oct 2026

Read the comments on the council site ↗

Consultation & key dates

Alt. reference
PP-14518247
Planning Portal ref
PP-14518247
Consultation
4 Dec 2025
Comments by
25 Dec 2025
Statutory expiry
9 Jan 2026
Env. assessment
No

Historical activity at this location

18 previous applications on record - archival context, not part of the live application.

This property

Previous applications at this address

2021 Approved
T1 Sycamore - selective removal of several small diameter branches on the west and south…
DM/21/00513/TCA
2018 Refused
Felling and Removal of 1No Lime Tree
DM/18/02195/TCA
Within ~100m

Nearby activity

2022 Approved
Maycote The Village Hawthorn Seaham SR7 8SG
Single storey rear extension and dormer windows to rear incorporating juliet balcony (ame…
DM/22/01028/FPA
2022 Approved
East Farm The Village Hawthorn Seaham SR7 8SG
Fell 1no Cherry tree (T1) and Prune 1no Maple tree (T2) branches back to a the boundary l…
DM/22/02197/TCA
2022 Approved
Garden House The Village Hawthorn Seaham SR7 8SG
Fell Cherry Tree
DM/22/01145/TCA
2021 Approved
East Farm The Village Hawthorn Seaham SR7 8SG
Fell T1 Sycamore Tree, following the work to reduce the trees under DM/20/02588/TCA, cavi…
DM/21/02502/TCA
2021 Approved
St Michael And All Angels Church The Village Hawthorn SR7 8SG
Crown reduction by a maximum of 15% and removal of lower branches of 1 no. Sycamore tree
DM/21/01244/TCA
2020 Approved
7 The Paddocks Hawthorn Seaham SR7 8SL
Fell 1no. Oak (T1) and 1no. Cherry (T2)
DM/20/03282/TCA
2020 Approved
1 Belmont Avenue Hawthorn Seaham SR7 8SF
3m height reduction and 1m lateral reduction to shape crown to 1no. Silver Birch (betula…
DM/20/02749/TCA
2020 Approved
East Farm The Village Hawthorn Seaham SR7 8SG
Sycamore trees (T1 and T2) lateral crown reduction by 2.5m, height reduction by 2m and cr…
DM/20/02588/TCA
2020 Approved
Garden House The Village Hawthorn Seaham SR7 8SG
Fell 1no. Conifer and replant in same or nearby position
DM/20/01665/TCA
2019 Approved
2 The Cottage The Village Hawthorn Seaham SR7 8SG
Reduce crown by 1.5m and thin by 15% to 1no. Sycamore tree (T1)
DM/19/03502/TCA
2019 Approved
Garden House The Village Hawthorn Seaham SR7 8SG
Fell diseased and damaged ash tree to western boundary of garden
DM/19/01541/TCA
2018 Approved
Garden Cottage The Village Hawthorn Seaham SR7 8SG
Prune and remove approx 3m in length from trees 1 to 6
DM/18/02625/TCA
2017 Approved
Stable End Acres The Village Hawthorn Seaham SR7 8SG
Discharge of condition 5 (Landscaping) of planning permission CE/13/01701/FPA
DRC/17/00074
2017 Approved
Stable End Acres The Village Hawthorn Seaham SR7 8SG
Discharge of conditions 3 (Window details) and 4 (Sample Materials) pursuant to planning…
DRC/17/00004
2016 Approved
Stable End Acres The Village Hawthorn Seaham SR7 8SG
Fell 1no. Cherry Tree
DM/16/03531/TPO
2016 Refused
Stable End Acres The Village Hawthorn Seaham SR7 8SG
Fell 2no. Cherry Trees
DM/16/02638/TCA
Durham
Planning Authority Score
5.2/10
Average
#137 of 296 councils
Relevant to this application:
Other decisions

Durham ranks #190 out of 296 councils for householder decision speed. 48% of applications have the time limit extended, above the 41% national average. Householder applications are more likely to be approved here than most councils, with a 97% approval rate vs 90% nationally.

More permissive than most councils
97% approved vs 90% nationally
These figures are council-wide context, not a prediction for this application. View full council performance
Durham decision statistics
Based on MHCLG data, the year to March 2026
93%
Overall approval rate
Above avg (87%) #52 of 296
97%
Householder approved
Above avg (90%) #29 of 296
59%
Decided in 8 weeks
Below avg (63%) #190 of 296
48%
Extended time limit
Above avg (41%) #213 of 296
79%
Minor dwellings approved
95 decided (1-9 homes)
90%
Major dwellings approved
49 decided (10+ homes)
87%
Change of use approved
201 decided
1,706
Total decisions
113 refused in the year to March 2026
Source: MHCLG planning statistics · See full council rankings

Sale prices: Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Energy performance: Energy performance certificates from the Energy Performance of Buildings Register, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright 2026.