A COMMUNITY is pressing for village green status for its only public open space, in a bid to counter a housing application for the plot.

Villagers in High Pittington, near Durham, claim the area of land, north of Coalford Lane, meets all the criteria to win official village green designation.

Pittington Parish Council is drawing up the necessary evidence to lodge with Durham County Council, which owns the site, to have it officially adopted as village green.

It is the latest move by the parish council in its fight against plans lodged by Durham Aged Mineworkers' Homes Association to develop eight two-bedroom homes for elderly couples.

The association, with 1,500 homes around the county and a waiting list of more than 1,000, said the application was drawn up in consultation with the city council to meet demand in the Pittington area.

But the parish council has registered its opposition due to the location, on the unofficial "village green", and it is concerned that pensioners will be living next to a busy road regularly used by lorries on their way to a nearby wood mill.

The housing application is expected to go before the city council's development committee in coming months but, in the meantime, the parish hopes to firm up its opposition by having the village green status accepted.

Parish council chairman Bill Kellett, who is also a city councillor, said: "It's the only bit of open green left in the village and is our unofficial village green."

The application for village green status is expected to be lodged next week. A county council spokesman said residents need to prove 20 years' use by the public for sports and recreation use to win designation as official village green.