BUSINESSMEN hoping to develop an eco-park on a Teesside housing estate claim they have been sent "threatening and obscene" anonymous e-mails.

Paul Nelson and Ian Howlett, who run Nunthorpe Nurseries group, have submitted plans for a six-acre site north of Blair Avenue, in Ingleby Barwick.

The proposal is in two phases, including a private nursery, youth and community centre, badminton courts, climbing wall, medical village, health facility, gym and office buildings.

Despite the plans being modified to include suggestions from residents and agencies, more than 130 letters of objection have been submitted to Stockton Borough Council on the grounds that the development will take away valuable green space. Objectors also say office buildings will be detrimental to the area.

The businessmen said they were "incensed" when the e-mails started to arrive.

Mr Nelson said: "Normally, we would ignore anonymous e-mails, but, in this case, sandwiched between the threats and obscenities, are constant negative references to the term ecopark and implicit accusations that we are simply out-of-town developers eager to make a quick killing.

"The same themes run through similarly threatening and obscene e-mails sent to our architects.

"We would like to put the record straight once and for all on these two issues."

He said the term ecopark had been applied by their architects as the most apt term for the model environmental development they wished to create.

"Another popular misconception is that we will be installing towering, commercially-sized wind turbines on the site," he said. "This is also nonsense."

Stockton councillor David Harrington said members of Ingleby Barwick Independent Society did not advocate threats or obscenities.

He said: "All we have ever asked for is open and honest consultation with residents, and we would again call for Nunthorpe Nurseries to meet with us to tell us what their plans are, so misconceptions can be ironed out. That should have been done before the plans were submitted."

* Councillors are holding a ward surgery tonight, from 6pm to 7pm, in the function room at Bannatyne's health club, in Myton Way, for residents to talk about this application, plans for a Mister Twister's on the estate, and a development at Betty's Close Farm.

Ingleby Barwick Parish Council will then discuss the ecopark at a meeting at 7.15pm in the hall of St Francis of Assisi Church, in Barwick Way.

Residents are welcome to attend both meetings.