RESIDENTS are celebrating after a proposal to build housing on the site of a former hospital was thrown out by councillors.

An application by Miller Homes North East to build 26 detached homes and 78 apartments on the site of the former Highfield Hospital, in Chester-le-Street, was refused planning permission.

Dozens of people who live near the site, off Newcastle Road, packed into a planning meeting at the town's Civic Centre, on Monday night, to hear the verdict.

They were campaigning against the plans because they claimed they would be too densely built and feared the three-storey flats were too high.

More than 30 residents sent letters to Chester-le-Street District Council objecting to the plans and 84 of them attended a residents' meeting to air their concerns two weeks ago.

At Monday's meeting, councillors also felt that the houses were too densely packed on the site. They opted not to back the recommendation of the planning officer and refused planning permission.

Chester-le-Street district councillor Chris Jukes, who does not sit on the planning committee, spoke to the meeting on behalf of residents.

He said: "The residents of that area have been tremendous in the dignified and intelligent way that they have conducted themselves.

"They hope that a more sensible development will now come forward that will meet all parties' aspirations."

One resident, Enid Moss, of Highfield Drive, said she was "overjoyed" at the decision.

She said: "The building that is there now is horrible, it's going to wrack and ruin, so we would be happy to see something nice built opposite to us, but not these gigantic flats."

The plans involved demolishing the hospital buildings, which have been empty since the medical equipment was moved to the new hospital site at the south end of Front Street.

The four and five bedroomed homes and two-bedroomed apartments would have been built on the site of the hospital and an adjacent grassed area. As well as private housing, the development was also to have included some affordable homes.

Prior to Monday's meeting, Miller Homes said they had given careful consideration to the design and visual appearance of the development and had worked closely with the council to ensure it was a sensitive development.

Nobody from Miller Homes North East was available for comment yesterday.