REVISED plans for a major housing development on the site of a former Darlington sports ground have been given the go-ahead.

Developer George Wimpey was given permission in 2004 to build 125 homes on land which used to be playing fields for Cleveland Bridge sports and social club, in Geneva Way, and applied to construct an extra eight houses.

On Wednesday, Darlington Borough Council's planning committee approved the revised application for 73 houses and 60 apartments.

Construction of the 60 apartments and more than 60 houses, for which permission had been granted, is already underway.

Originally, Cleveland Bridge proposed to site a pavilion, car park and football pitches on the show field, close to the Victoria Embankment end of the park, to compensate for the loss of the sports ground, but this caused controversy with residents.

However, Wimpey, who took over the development, proposed to move the pavilion away from the northern end of the park and spend more than £650,000 on sports facilities and play equipment.

There will be further consultation with residents near Parkside regarding the new plan.

After the meeting, Councillor Cyndi Hughes said: "Local people had very strong views about the previous plans. We tried to keep everyone informed of what was being discussed. I'm delighted that the pavilion is going to be moved well away from Victoria Embankment and Bedford Street.

"There is still a lot of work to do before the scheme is finalised.

"We are committed to keeping residents up-to-date with developments."