A SURVEY of hundreds of villagers shows overwhelming opposition to a proposed housing development in Hurworth, near Darlington.

The Banks Group plan to extend the boundary of the village by building around 90 houses on land off Roundhill Road.

In response to the proposals, campaigners from the Hurworth Against Detrimental Development (HADD) group recently conducted a survey of 220 villagers.

Results show 129 were opposed to the plans, 54 were concerned, 26 had no view and 11 were in favour of the potential development.

HADD chairman Carol Paylor said: “It is a sizeable sample of the village and underlines how strongly the villagers feel about the proposals.

“This is potentially the biggest change in our village for more than 40 years and people need to make themselves heard.”

Five members of HADD, including Mrs Paylor, will stand in parish council elections, taking place on Thursday, May 5.

Mrs Paylor said: “What we need now is for people to come out and vote next Thursday to show how they feel.”

Protestors have expressed concerns around erosion of green land, traffic congestion, the impact on local amenities and the possibility of further future development.

The Banks Group has assured residents that they will not submit further development plans in the village but say they are unable to guarantee other proposals will not be submitted by other developers.

The five HADD members standing for election on Thursday are: Carol Paylor, David Wood, Richard Lawler, Janine Foster and Simon Coultas.