CAMPAIGNERS against the over-development of a village near Darlington have been dealt a blow by the Government after it refused to re-examine a contentious development approval.

In February, Darlington Borough Council approved the building of up to new 200 homes in Middleton St George at a packed planning meeting in the Dolphin Centre’s Central Hall.

Sedgefield MP Phil Wilson immediately asked for the decision to be called in for review but the Minister for Local Government, Marcus Jones, has now confirmed that the Government will not be investigating the matter.

In a letter to Mr Wilson, Mr Jones said: “The Government is committed to giving more power to councils and communities to make their own decisions on planning issues and believes that planning decisions should be made at a local level wherever possible.”

He went on to say that the call in policy is only used selectively, adding: “I am satisfied that the application should be determined at a local level."

Mr Wilson said he was disappointed with the decision.

He said: “I know there is a need for more housing, nobody can deny that, but I think it has to be done in a much more sensitive way than it has been.

“The Government has its targets but I think they need to deal with that more sensitively.”

One option left open to campaigners is to call for a judicial review but that would be a very costly and potentially lengthy process.

Ward councillor Doris Jones said that that the Government’s decision “felt like a thump in the stomach”.

She added: “It is quite a nasty shock and a bit sickening – we are not happy with it by any means.”

Mrs Jones said she had particular sympathy for residents of High Stell and Grendon Gardens whose neighbourhood will bear the brunt of the extra traffic generated by 200 more homes.

She said: “Builders are making a fortune out of all this but it is our quality of life that is being ruined.

“Common sense has gone out of the window.”

Middleton St George has been subject to several large-scale development applications in recent years and two more are set to be decided on next week.

Darlington Borough Council’s planning committee meets on Wednesday to assess an application for 27 homes off Middleton Road and a separate application for a new doctor’s surgery, pharmacy and 26 houses.

The former has been recommended for refusal due to its detriment to the village’s conservation area, but the surgery application, which was refused in 2009 when it included 36 houses, has been recommended for approval with conditions.