COUNCILLORS have voted in favour of a controversial children’s home in Eaglescliffe, near Stockton, despite concerns about flooding and anti-social behaviour.

Under the plans the large residential house The Willows, on Aislaby Road, will be transformed into a fully-staffed home housing five children.

Applicant Mark Dalzell has set up a company, Josh’s Place, to run the home which he said will be for children with severe autism.

He has applied for change of use from a residential house to a children’s home, which councillors heard could cover any type of children’s home.

He told a meeting of Stockton Council’s planning committee: “This came about because I have an autistic child and there are no facilities in the area for autistic children, so I am just trying to provide that.”

He said he had owned the property for ten years and had only known it to flood once, because it was in an elevated position.

But Steve Barker of Prism Planning, speaking on behalf of objectors, said neighbours were concerned about the property flooding, and claimed it had been underwater on three occasions in recent years.

He was also concerned about traffic speeding along Aislaby Road, which at The Willows is a 30mph limit but a traffic survey showed cars drove at an average of 45 mph.

He said: “As members you don’t have to put autistic children in danger.”

Councillor Lynn Hall raised concerns that the wording of the application was almost identical to one lodged by Spark of Genius, which runs homes for children with complex needs in partnership with Stockton Council.

“If this had come with a Spark of Genius label on it we could have looked at it honestly.

“It is a bit of a Trojan Horse in my opinion,” she said.

She said some families living close to Spark of Genius’ children’s home in Hartburn, Stockton, had been plagued by anti-social behaviour.

Cllr Phil Dennis added: “This is about the safety and suitability of this particular site. This isn’t about having a children’s home in Eaglescliffe - we welcome that. “

Other councillors welcomed the home, saying it was much-needed. They approved the application by ten votes to two.