Pupils help to name new housing development at Wynyard Park

Pupils at Wynyard Church of England Primary School in Stockton-on-Tees have helped to name a new housing development taking shape in the village.

Bellway invited pupils to come up with some ideas for the name of its latest development in the area, a collection of 170 homes at Wynyard Park which opens to the public next month (July).

More than 80 suggestions were put forward, with two of them inspiring the final choice of name – Oakwood at Wynyard Park.

Year 3 pupils Isla Gettings and Guy Heward, whose suggestions of ‘Oak Wood’ and ‘Oakwood Manor’ inspired the chosen name, were presented with commemorative mock development signs in recognition of their role in naming the new development.

Victoria Dry, Sales Manager at Bellway Durham, said: “We have formed a long-standing and extremely positive relationship with Wynyard Church of England Primary School ever since we began building at our nearby Regency Manor development in 2018, which has included supporting their annual summer fair on several occasions. So when it came to inviting someone to help us name our latest development in the area, they were the obvious choice.

“We believe it’s important for local communities to feel a part of the new developments that are taking place in their neighbourhoods. Involving the children in the naming process will give them a sense of ownership in the development and also help to create a feeling of pride in their local area.

“We were extremely impressed by the volume and variety of the names submitted and would like to thank all the pupils for their suggestions. In the end, it was the names put forward by Isla and Guy which helped us to decide on Oakwood at Wynyard Park – a title which perfectly captures the development’s attractive woodland setting.”

Sarah Wassell, Headteacher at Wynyard Church of England Primary School, said: "We were really pleased to be involved in this exciting opportunity. The children had great fun coming up with lots of different name ideas, and we’re so proud that Isla and Guy have helped name part of the Wynyard Estate as a lasting legacy for the community.”

Oakwood at Wynyard Park is located to the north of the A689 Hartlepool Road and will be accessed via Musgrave Garden Lane and Attenborough Way. Construction work on the site has now commenced and the development will launch with a grand opening on Saturday 4 July. The development will feature landscaped green spaces with additional tree planting to complement the neighbouring woodland to the north.

Bellway is also currently building at its Regency Manor development on the nearby Wynyard Woods Estate, where it has built more than 600 homes since the late 1990s.

For more information about Oakwood at Wynyard Park, visit https://www.bellway.co.uk/new-homes/durham/oakwood-at-wynyard-park. For more details about Regency Manor, visit https://www.bellway.co.uk/new-homes/durham/regency-manor.