AN impassioned plea from residents overlooking a cricket ground has resulted in a planning decision over practice nets being delayed.

Darlington Cricket Club had submitted a retrospective planning application for the all-weather practice area, including two tracks within cages and nets.

The club, which has been playing at the ground since 1866, faced objections from people who live in properties on Greener Drive, which is part of the new housing development being built on the former Feethams football ground.

And three residents, whose homes overlook the ground, raised objections about noise and disorder coming from people using the facilities when the application appeared before members of Darlington Borough Council's planning committee.

Outlining the application, the local authority's principal planning officer, Dave Coates, said the cricket club had used the area for a number of years before altering the site, resulting in the need for planning permission.

He said: "We are trying to strike a balance between what we expect to take place on a cricket field with people living next door are reasonably expecting for their quality of life."

The plan is to make the practice pitches available seven days a week to club players as well as local schools between April and September.

Brian Johnson, the chairman of Darlington Cricket Club, told members that the site had been used for 25-30 years.

"This development largely covers the part of the original all weather pitch," he said. " The whole purpose of the net facility is largely to encourage youngsters, aged six to teens, to develop their cricketing skills."

Mr Johnson, who has been a club member since 1948, added: "The only way that I can see it being resolved is if we stop playing cricket all together at Feethams. We take the nets down in September and put them back up in mid-April – they are not used all day and every day. The busiest time is probably between 6pm and 8pm on an evening."

However, the angry residents raised concerns about the level of noise, swearing and proximity to their homes.

One of the objectors said: "We don't ever want the cricket to stop at Darlington Cricket Club. The new location is closer to the houses than the older nets, When the houses were built , didn't the cricket club have an obligation to the people living near the cricket ground.

"I would like to propose an alternative location for the nets to resolve the issue."

The objectors played an audio recording of the noise they experience when the nets are in use to members of the committee to highlight the impact it has on their lives whenever the facilities are in use.

Members voted to defer any decision to enable them to carry out a site visit at the ground so that they can hear for themselves the noise coming from the practice nets. The date is yet to be fixed.