Hundreds of home owners have vowed to fight plans for an green 'eco- village' on their doorstep.

Around 300 people attended a public meeting at Woodham Village Community Centre to discuss the plans for an urban village of 120 environmentally friendly houses on the Cobblers Hall Estate.

Although planners say the scheme is a vision of a self-sufficient village of tomorrow, the green scheme has made local residents see red.

They fear the development will send property prices of nearby executive houses plummeting.

The plans for the development on Tony Blair's doorstep are being considered by Sedgefield Borough Council but residents have urged they be thrown out at the first hurdle.

They have now set up a committee of 12 residents - a representative from every street - to fight the proposals, which they have labelled a '21st century pit village'.

If the homes were to get the go ahead it would be the first estate of its kind in the country.

The project is the brainchild of Armstrong Worrall Project Management based in Sutton Coalfield. Every home would have Internet and Intranet connections, so residents could work from home and carry out day to day business, such as making doctors appointments.

They would also be able to hire cars from a transport pool and there would be solar panels on the roofs to create energy.

But one man, who lives on the Cobblers Hall Estate, which is made up of executive housing, said: "I have looked at the plans and it looks like a 21st Century pit village. It may work in certain parts of County Durham but the density and type of development is totally out of keeping with the design and brief of the rest of the area. That is why people are so upset.''

Another man said that the land had been previously earmarked for self-build plots and said he felt that that should remain.

Sedgefield Borough Councillor Alan Gray, who chaired the meeting, admitted that the council had not realised that the new estate would provoke such anger.

Afterwards he said: "The number of people who have turned out has been overwhelming. I have never been to a meeting where there are this many people.

"There is quite clearly a strong view against this proposal and I think the message has to be put forward to the council and that it will have to listen and act accordingly to the requests of the meeting.'' The scheme will be discussed by councillors in June.