Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott is due to be asked for his opinion on a planned controversial housing development near Darlington.

His office will be sent details of the Co-operative group's plans to build houses on land at Merrybent Drive between Merrybent and Low Conis-cliffe.

The land has previously being used as a commercial site for a milk depot and a food package factory.

The Co-op had originally applied to Darlington Borough Council to build 32 houses but amended this to apply for outline permission for an unspecified residential development on part of the site.

The original application resulted in a number of complaints. Eight official letters of objection were sent to the council from people living in the area.

One resident said: "Low Coniscliffe should be protected against such development. If it is approved the council, will be signing the death warrant for Low Coniscliffe."

The Council for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE) objected to the original application and has announced it is against the new plans, despite them including plans for a new community forest.

Low Coniscliffe and Merrybent Parish Council has also objected to the proposal for various reasons, including an increase in demand for school places and the danger of other land in the area being developed.

The parish council also rejected the idea of a new community forest saying it would take too long to develop, would have to be maintained and would be used as a hiding place for teenagers and trouble-makers.

But in a report to Darlington Borough Council's planning committee, which meets next week, the application is looked on favorably.

The report states that the community forest would be beneficial to everyone in the area and would mean the Co-op could not develop the whole site as it had previously wanted to.

The report said: "Rather than open the floodgates to development this small scale proposal and the community forest associated with it have the opposite effect."

Because the plans involve land which is not marked for residential development in the town plan, the application must be sent to the Government for approval.

However, Mr Prescott's department will be told that Darlington Borough Council does want to approve the application.