PERMISSION has been refused for five two-storey homes partially within a conservation area in east Cleveland.

Sixty people signed a petition against an application to build on land west of East Lodge Gardens in Plantation Road, Kirkleatham, near Redcar.

Residents living nearby were concerned that the development, at the entrance to Kirkleatham Woods, would spoil the rural setting of the area.

They were also worried that the proposed road to the properties would present a danger to young children and people with animals.

Councillors refused to grant planning permission for the proposed buildings following a site visit.