PLANS have been approved to turn a family house into a children’s home and to extend a special needs school.

Durham County Council has given the green light to the proposals to convert Shieldfield House, at Loggins Farm, Tudhoe, into a residential facility for up to three youngsters aged between eight and 18 with learning disabilities or behavioural difficulties, among other issues.

Almost 60 objections to the application were submitted by members of the public, raising concerns about potential crime and the impact on traffic.

But county councillors eventually gave it the thumbs up after accepting official recommendations suggesting there was no evidence it would be "harmful" to the area.

Councillor Ivan Jewell said: “This is a very emotive issue, but I’m finding the fears and objections people are putting forward are assumed fears.

“If the house stayed as it was now, would those fears be alleviated? Or would we have exactly the same objections?

“Imagine a family of six or eight, which that property could take, move in – we wouldn’t know what those people would be like and we would have no control over them.

“The objections we have for this are the same fears you could have if it was kept as a house.”

Cllr Jewell was speaking at Friday's meeting of the council’s Area Planning Committee for south and west Durham, which was held by videolink and broadcast via YouTube.

The panel also heard details of proposals to extend The Oaks Secondary School, on Rock Road, Spennymoor.

The application sought permission for an extension housing six new classrooms, as well as toilets and storage, and an extra 42 car parking spaces.

Durham County Councillor for Spennymoor Liz Maddison requested the scheme go before the committee, of which she is not a member, after raising concerns about traffic and road safety.

But Councillor Fraser Tinsley, a member of the panel, questioned whether it was really an "issue in the local community" after just one member of the public submitted a comment on the proposals "neither objecting to or supporting the application".

Councillor John Shuttleworth said: “This is for the benefit of all the kids in Spennymoor and County Durham and for that reason I support the application.”

The panel approved both applications.