A PARISH council has defended its decision not to object to a controversial housing development that was approved last week.

Plans for a second near 100-home development on land off Roundhill Road in Hurworth, near Darlington, were approved by Darlington Borough Council’s planning committee on Wednesday.

In the weeks prior to the application being heard, Hurworth Parish Council revealed it would not be objecting to the plans in a bid to try to get more money for the village.

The move angered some residents, but Hurworth ward councillor Lorraine Tostevin defended the parish council during the planning meeting last week, when she pointed out they “didn’t support it either – they made no comment”, after Banks used the lack of an objection as a reason for the plans to be approved.

Speaking to The Northern Echo after permission for the development was granted, Paul Walters, acting chair of Hurworth Parish Council, said he believed they made the right decision and the plans were always going to go through.

“The big problem is that the residents of Hurworth are divided on what is the best strategy for the good of the village, and the parish council were in the middle," he said.

“With the first Banks application, the parish council did everything they could to try and oppose the application.

“But this time the council voted not to object in the hope that we can get the best financial input for the village, especially since most people are of the opinion the council would pass it without issue.

“If there were dodos, white rhinos or gold crested newts on the land, they still would have built on it.

“It is happening everywhere – it has totally destroyed Middleton St George – it is no longer the quaint little village it once was.”

Cllr Tostevin, and fellow Hurworth ward councillor Joe Kelley, both voted against the development and received passionate applause from campaigners as they raised issues about legal impacts of the application and safety concerns during last week’s meeting.

The approval comes around 18 months on from planning permission being granted for a 100-home development on neighbouring land to the south of the new site, also off Roundhill Road.

Speaking after the meeting, Lewis Stokes, community relations manager with developer Banks, said: “This is a carefully developed scheme located in an area where we know there is demand for homes from people who want to stay or move here, and has been designed to bring a range of economic, employment, environmental, social and supply chain benefits to the local area.”