TEESDALE District Council is not listening to the voice of the area's young people, say leaders of local youth groups.

The criticism is aimed at councillors who voted to defer a planning application made by Teesdale Community Resources (TCR), which wants to create a new centre in Barnard Castle to provide facilities for young people to practise skills such as mechanics, music and dance.

Leaders of youth groups who work in partnership with TCR have condemned the councillors' decision.

Sam Forsyth, director of Teeny Tiny Films, said: "We have some of the most active young people in the entire region here in Teesdale and what goes on at the TCR is nothing short of amazing. But this is another case of young people being disenfranchised by the council."

Jill Cole, director of Barnard Castle-based youth theatre group The Turrets, said: "The process which the young people involved with TCR have had a glimpse of hasn't been a good example of effective politics.

"Having gone through all of that, they now feel like they haven't got a voice."

Teesdale District Council voted to defer TCR's planning application until an assessment into the land that would be used for the project has been carried out.

The council and the TCR have yet to confirm how long the planning application will be deferred for.

Councillor Peter Stubbs, chairman of the planning commitee, said: "The councillors all want this project to go ahead, but the TCR need to carry out this assessment.

"We are governed by planning regulations and we couldn't grant the application until this assessment has been done."