CAMPAIGNERS have reacted angrily to news that 400 homes will be built on land next to a popular country park.

The Planning Inspectorate has overturned a council decision to block the Theakston Land scheme to build a housing estate on the fringes of Flatts Lane Country Park between Middlesbrough and Guisborough.

A public inquiry was held in April and the decision has now been overturned despite a petition opposing the scheme attracted 1,863 signatures, plus a further 593 on a paper petition while 800 further letters of opposition were submitted.

Craig Hornby, who campaigned against the development, said: “It is bitterly disappointing. We built up a formidable campaign and put forward a number of rock solid arguments. I would like to thank everybody who helped with the fight.

“Local democracy has been well and truly been trampled over. When you have a system where the government can simply overrule the will of the local authority and the people, it is not democratic but dictatorial.”

And Redcar MP Anna Turley branded the Inspectorate's ruling 'a defeat for a community'.

“Local people came together to protect our hills against a development which adds more strain to local infrastructure and will concrete over valued green space on our hillside. We made our case through the proper process and made our voice heard," she said.

“In the end it counted for nothing against a Tory government whose ‘developers’ charter’ planning policy is letting them build wherever they like.

“This is not a defeat for Nimbyism but a defeat for a community that has had enough of more and more development on Eston Hills. It is no wonder that people lose faith in the system and feel like they are constantly fighting a losing battle.

“I will now be working to make sure the developer is held to account by the local planning authority to deliver the improvements they have promised, especially the promise of a bus service.”

A Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council spokesman said: "We are disappointed at the Planning Inspector’s decision to allow the appeal and grant planning permission for house building at Woodcock Wood, Normanby. Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council maintain that the original planning application was rejected by the Council’s Regulatory Committee for sound planning reasons based on the Council’s current Local Development Plan and an intimate understanding of the local area."