DETAILS about a £100 million USA-style 'retirement village' to be built near Yarm will be considered by councillors next week.

Outline permission to build the village at Mount Leven Farm on Mount Leven Road was eventually granted by Stockton Borough Council's planning committee in 2013.

A first application by well-known local businessman Javed Majid was rejected but a second, amended application was approved by six votes to five, against the recommendations of the council's owning planning officers.

Now the details of the scheme have been submitted to the council, and the plan has been slightly scaled down.

Instead of a 100-bedroom care home there will only be a 68-bed centre and instead of 350 retirement homes there will only be 332. The homes will be a mix of one, two and and three bedroom properties and 20 per cent of the homes must be 'affordable.' Prices are expected to range up to £250,000.

There will also be a bowling green, community hall, parkland, tennis court and shop.

The latest consultation has attracted 70 letters of objection from people concerned about the loss of protected, 'green wedge,' land and a proposed new roundabout at the top of the bank which they say could be dangerous. One objector said the village would make residents "prisoners in their own homes."

A total of 15 letters of support have also been received from people who said more bungalows and better policies are needed to accommodate older people.

Tees Archaeology stressed that two areas of Iron Age enclosures, including the site of several round houses, should be protected.

Despite the consultation, officers stressed the overall outline development has been approved. In a report for councillors ahead of Wednesday's (February 17) committee meeting at Stockton Library at 1.30pm, the authority's planning officers said the detailed application accords with the outline proposal and the plan was considered to be acceptable and as such will be approved by the authority under 'reserved matters.'