A GOVERNMENT minister has agreed to meet with representatives of a village that has been flooded with applications for housing developments after the local MP raised the matter in Parliament.

Phil Wilson MP raised a question with Communities and Local Government under secretary Stephen Williams in the House of Commons about the number of developers targeting Middleton St George, near Darlington, despite residents' concerns.

Mr Wilson spoke after developer Gladman won an appeal to build 250 houses on a greenfield site on the edge of the village last month.

Since the ruling, two applications for a further 269 houses have been submitted to planners, as well as proposals to build 400 homes at the nearby Durham Tees Valley Airport.

Mr Wilson said: "The development is against the wishes of the local people and Darlington Borough Council.

"Local people feel their views are being ignored and have called into question his department’s commitment to localism.

"Will the minister meet with me to discuss the consequences of the housing development and Middleton St. George’s neighbourhood plan?"

Mr Williams agreed to a meeting, which will be arranged by Mr Wilson at a later date.

Speaking after the parliamentary session, Mr Wilson said: "On the one hand the government is championing localism and wanting local people to take control of where they live but at the same time it is allowing applications like the one from Gladman to go through.

"There is a need for more housing but the government needs to decide whether the balance comes down in favour of residents or national interests."

Middleton St George Parish Council and ward councillors Doris Jones and Steve York have led the fight against development in the village and are in the process of creating a neighbourhood plan, a legal document setting out where the parish will allow development in future years.