CAMPAIGNERS fighting against a housing development were left in tears after permission was granted to build on the border of a North-East village.

Members of the Hurworth Against Detrimental Development (HADD) group were “appalled” after Darlington Borough Council planning application committee members voted in favour of the 100-home plan.

Planning applicants, Banks Developments, have stated that the site off Roundhill Road, in Hurworth, near Darlington, is a “wholly appropriate location” to build of a range of three to five-bedroomed homes.

More than 220 formal objections were submitted to the council ahead of a four-hour meeting in Darlington’s Town Hall yesterday morning.

HADD vice chair, Judith Aston, represented residents and implored committee members to vote against the development over flooding and road safety concerns in Hurworth.

Around 30 members of the public applauded Mrs Aston after she addressed councillors and said: “Whatever you do now cannot be withdrawn.”

She added: “At the moment, there are 31 houses for sale and there are eight properties to let – there’s not a shortage of housing in Hurworth.

“One of the wonderful aspects about Darlington is its rural setting.

“There is a holiday cottage in the centre of Hurworth – people actually come for holidays and it’s booked virtually all year round.”

Darlington Borough Council planning committee members voted in favour of granting planning permission with five votes to four.

Speaking after the decision, Mrs Aston said: “We are gutted but it’s not unexpected.

“We do feel we’ve done everything we can and it’s regrettable, but it’s been a very good learning curve for us and we’ll fight future planning applications if we don’t feel they are appropriate for Hurworth.”

Representatives from Banks Developments stated during the meeting that £50m will be invested in the project and around 70 jobs will be created.

Lewis Stokes, community relations manager at The Banks Group, said: “This scheme has been carefully designed to be fully in keeping with the existing character, size and scale of Hurworth, will be sited in a wholly appropriate location for this type of residential development, and will enable us to deliver many long-term economic, environmental and social benefits to the local community."