A PLANNING application has been submitted to build houses on the edge of a village.

Avant Homes has applied to Durham County Council for permission to build 64 new houses on farmland next to Benridge Bank, in West Rainton, near Durham.

The developers had originally proposed to build 70 homes on the site, close to the A690, but have reduced the number in their formal application.

The proposed development on the 2.7-hectare site includes a mixture of family homes of between two and five bedrooms, with 10 of the properties identified as affordable homes, along with public open space and landscaping.

Concerns were expressed by residents during an earlier consultation exercise over the potential impact on local services as well as worries over extra traffic.