VILLAGE residents fighting to prevent unreasonable housing developments have launched the first draft of a legal document designed to give them a strong voice in future planning decisions.

The Middleton St George neighbourhood development plan steering committee, made up of residents and members of the parish council, has spent months working to come up with a series of proposals to guide future development in the village.

More than 2,000 households in Middleton St George, near Darlington, have received the draft document as part of a consultation process to gauge opinions from the community about whether they agree with the proposals.

The steering group has urged as many people as possible to read the form and return it with their thoughts about what it contains.

The neighbourhood development plan is a legally binding document which, if passed in a referendum of village residents later this year, must be taken into account by planning officials and developers in the coming years.

The plan cannot simply say that no future development should take place. Instead it is an opportunity for the village to say what kind of development – for example starter homes and bungalows rather than executive housing – it would allow, and where.

The neighbourhood development plan process was started by Middleton St George Parish Council last year in response to a number of planning applications submitted to build hundreds of houses in sites around the village, which many feel would overwhelm existing residents and services.

Ward councillor and parish chairwoman Doris Jones said: “We want to encourage people to please take it seriously if they are genuinely concerned about preventing large scale developments in this village.

“It is a legal document, it does have teeth and it will give us some control over future developments.

“We want people to fill in the form we have sent out – lots of people will have views and we want to hear those views.

“If people don’t agree with what has been suggested then tell us and it can be changed. It is not set in stone, there is no point getting to the referendum and people voting against it because they don’t agree with what it contains.”

Lisa Locke, a parish councillor and member of the neighbourhood development plan steering group, said: “I understand that some of the policies we’ve come up with are complex and that some people may find it easier to sit down and go through it with someone.

“If that is the case, just get in touch and we’ll arrange a one to one session to make sure your views are heard.”

David Sheen, chairman of the neighbourhood development plan steering group, said: “We are pleased that the pre-draft of the NDP has now been produced.

“We have now circulated a consultation document to every household in the village so every resident can have their say. Hopefully we will get some great feedback.”