A KEY £15m planning vote was postponed today (Tuesday, March 10), as confusion reigned following the rejection of a controversial growth strategy.

Members of Durham County Council’s central and east planning committee struggled to know what policy to turn to, the authority’s flagship County Durham Plan (CDP) having been declared unsound last month.

Council lawyer Neil Carter advised councillors to ignore the 20-year economic blueprint, but admitted there were “different views” on the issue.

Argument went back and forth over whether to rely on the CDP, an 11-year-old local plan or the Government’s national planning framework, prompting Cllr Allan Bell to declare the committee was stuck between a rock and a hard place and Cllr Patrick Conway to say there was “almost a policy vacuum”.

Robin Newlove, representing developers Haswell, said the council could no longer demonstrate the minimum five-year supply of land available for housing and therefore it did not matter if land wanted for development was greenfield or brownfield.

But Cllr Bill Moir said he was very uncomfortable at being “hectored and lectured” by Mr Newlove.

The council is still deciding what to do about the CDP, with an announcement expected next week.

But, in the meantime, debate flared over plans to build ten houses in greenbelt land in Shadforth and a £15m project to create digs for 214 Durham University students.

Dorset-based developer Gilltown wants to build studio and cluster flats on the Kepier Court site, off Gilesgate, Durham City, but residents say the scheme would be too large and the students would be noisy and anti-social.

Following a lengthy debate, Cllr Bell said he felt uncomfortable taking any decision and it “might be best to sit this one out for now”; and the committee unanimously agreed to defer the vote.

Earlier, resident Bill Williamson said the area was suffering “social cleansing”, with some streets 90 per cent student-occupied.

Planning permission for 2,000 more student beds has already been approved and another 2,000 are in the pipeline but Durham University plans to expand by only 500 students by 2020, the meeting heard.

Harvey Dowdy, for the university, called on councillors to refuse permission or defer their decision.

Gilltown managing director Paul Gillespie said the development would have quality buildings and be well managed.

The issue is expected to come before the committee again in the next few months.