THE family of aspiring world title boxer Thomas Ward proved themselves champions in the council chamber as they won planning permission to build a home.

The featherweight boxer’s wife Chantelle Morrison applied to build a permanent home for them and their three children on green belt land off Pittington Road in Rainton Gate near Houghton-le-Spring.

He is living in a caravan shared by 13 people and needs a home “conducive to elite-level competition”, according to the plans.

A static caravan and hardstanding already on the site were “unauthorised”, the planning meeting heard.

A previous application was refused as inappropriate development in the green belt in November last year, and an appeal was dismissed.

This time, NHS care worker Ms Morrison argued there were “very special circumstances” to justify approving the three-bedroom house.

She said her husband Tommy was “a well respected member of the local community and a great role model to all” who volunteered his time to help others and supported local events and fundraisers.

She told the Durham County Council planning committee the family was settled and thriving with good, trusting links with professionals.

She said: “We have lived in West Rainton all our lives. We both were brought up on the travellers’ site on Adventure Lane, which is a well established settled community.

“There’s no availability on the site or on any other site close by. We are not priority for a council property.

“We are unable to get a mortgage due to the size of the house we need because Tommy is self-employed.

“It is more cost-efficient to build our own property.

“We have full support from our neighbours and we are sure that our property fits into the surroundings.”

She said she feared they would otherwise have to “revert to our travelling roots”, being “moved on from roadsides” and struggling to rebuild without family support.

Agent Mark Ketley said: “Tommy is a professional boxer, currently ranked eighth in the world in the featherweight division and a genuine contender for a world title.

“The site is entirely visually contained. There’s no encroachment into the green belt as a consequence of this development.”

Councillor David Hall supported the family, saying the plan was for “a modest family home on a small, unobtrusive site tucked neatly into existing houses”, with no objections.

Letters from a school headteacher, health visitor, youth organisation manager and project worker also supported the application.

Planning officers said it was still inappropriate development in the green belt and the family circumstances did not meet the “very high bar” to outweigh that harm.

They concluded the position “remains fundamentally unchanged” and recommended refusal.

Councillor Liz Brown agreed, saying she empathised with the family but the application was the same as the original one which was deemed an “unacceptable encroachment” on the green belt.

She said the family’s needs could be met by existing housing and she found “no circumstances special enough” to breach policy.

Cllr Carl Marshall said: “I do think there are special requirements here for the family.

“I don’t think the development is detrimental to the green belt. I don’t think it sets a precedent for other applications.”

He proposed approving the plan, and this was carried by a 7-6 vote.

A supporting statement on the planning application said: “The family descend from gypsy and traveller origins but have resided in the local area for their entire lives and require a permanent form of living accommodation to be able to stay in the local area close to their wider family.

“At present the family reside with Mr Ward’s mother in a caravan where there are 13 members of the family sharing the same space.

“Mr Ward is a professional boxer with a promising career ahead of him and with aims of a world title contest in the not-too-distant future.

“The family’s existing living conditions are far from satisfactory for a young professional sportsman.”

It states: “The contribution that Mr Ward makes to the local community cannot be underestimated, especially in motivating youngsters and getting them off the streets to pursue sporting activity and instilling a level of respect and discipline. For this reason alone Mr Ward prefers to remain a resident in the local area.”

The home was also to be adapted for the care needs of Mr Ward’s 83-year-old grandmother, who has significant health issues.

Keep up to date with all the latest news on our website, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

You can also follow our dedicated County Durham Facebook page for all the latest in the area by clicking here.

For all the top news updates from right across the region straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here.

Have you got a story for us? Contact our newsdesk on newsdesk@nne.co.uk or contact 01325 505054