PLANS for housing developments on the outskirts of Aycliffe Village have been halted before they began.

Stonegrave Aggregates applied to Sedgefield Borough Council for outline planning permission to build on two former landfill sites on the edge of the village.

But the proposals drew strong protests from villagers, who outlined their objections at a meeting of the council's development control committee.

Keith Butterfield, representing residents of Hoton Close, said: "We certainly think this proposal would have an adverse effect upon the nature of the village.

"It is likely that traffic through Aycliffe Village will increase as a result of the proposed development and it will make the village less attractive to visitors and residents. We are concerned that the local amenities cannot support an additional development.

"The school in the village seems to be over-subscribed already, and we are concerned about health facilities and shops which would be required to support additional housing. We are totally opposed to this development."

Councillors and planning officers supported the objections.

Councillor Bill Blenkinsopp said: "It is not in the local plan. It is a landfill site and we have concerns over traffic. This is a site that definitely does not need houses on it."

Planning officer Charlie Walton raised a number of other concerns. These included the potential for landfill gases to leak from the sites and the potential for flooding.

He said: "The issues here are not to do with the details, it is to do with the principle.

"This proposal substantially fails to meet some very important planning principles.

"It is outside the settlement boundary that was tightly drawn around the village."

He said the council should be looking to develop brown field sites and added: "I think the most important thing here is that this isn't a sustainable site."

Fellow officer Steve Barker said some of the problems could be overcome by spending money on them.

But he said: "The fundamental point is these sites should not be housing developed as the first choice in the borough when we have alternative sites."

The application was rejected by councillors.