UNELECTED planning officers have once again argued that a plan to expand a village by a third should be approved - despite their own councillors rejecting it.

As previously reported in the Darlington and Stockton Times, the scheme to build 145 houses at Kirklevington, near Yarm, was rejected by Stockton Borough Council in July.

However council officers invoked the Protocol for Decisions Contrary to Officers’ Recommendations, meaning the councillors have to consider the matter once again.

In a new report, the council officers have gone through each of the reasons councillors gave for rejecting the plan which drew nearly 300 objections from the small community.

The proposal by Stockton developers, Jomast, for farmland south of Pump Lane, includes creating a convenience store, bowling-green, tennis courts and a dedicated school parking zone.

Under the plans, there would also be a village green and small park.

Jomast would pay for a bus service between Kirklevington and Stockton for five years to ensure the village remained “sustainable” under Government and council guidelines.

However, the planning committee agreed with objectors that the plan was too big for the village, that there were flooding concerns, issues of highway safety, increased traffic and the village is already designated as not sustainable partly due to transport issues.

Walking access into Yarm was difficult, campaigners argued, because the path was unlit and on a busy road.

But now planning officers have argued those reasons would not be upheld on appeal and the council would be left with legal costs.

Stockton council has previously had difficulty rejecting housing applications because it has been unable to demonstrate that it can supply enough houses for projected population increases over the next five years.

The new council planning officers’ report said that they had sought legal advice and had been told: “the reasons for refusal cannot be sustained at appeal, with most being unreasonable and may lead to costs being awarded against the council.”

Community campaigners in both Yarm and Kirklevington have already described the four building sites north of Kirklevington, on the edge of Yarm, as “like living in a war zone”

The application will be debated once again by Stockton council’s planning committee on Wednesday, September 1.30pm.