CAMPAIGNERS battling to prevent the development of a prominent Victorian building have held a protest march through a North-East town.

More than 100 people held a peaceful walk through the streets of Saltburn, in east Cleveland on Saturday, to voice their concerns over plans for Brockley Hall.

An application has been submitted to demolish outbuildings and replace them with a four-storey apartment block.

The scheme, which would create 22 sheltered accommodation apartments, has received the support of planning officers at Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council.

The protest walk started outside Saltburn Railway Station and finished with a picnic in the grounds of Brockley Hall, which overlooks the Valley Gardens.

David Knowles, of Saltburn Civic Society steering group, said: “More than 100 people took part in the walk and at the end we presented the MP Ashok Kumar with a picture of Brockley Hall.

“The idea was to keep the planning application in people’s minds. Apart from a bit of singing and drumming, it was quite a peaceful protest.

“It helped to draw attention to the scheme because without something like this, it could quite easily have been accepted already.”

Brockley Hall is a holiday retreat for Christians and has been operating on the site for more than 50 years.

The development is a way of raising funds to protect the future of the hall, which is open for most of the year and is run as a charitable trust by Christian Endeavour Holiday Centres.

It can cater for up to 60 guests in a range of rooms.

Members of the borough council’s planning committee will visit the site before making a decision on the proposals next week.

More than 300 letters of objection and a 1,000-signature petition have been presented to the council. More than 100 people voiced their concerns at a public meeting last week.

Mr Knowles added: “People around here want to safeguard the future of Brockley Hall without this kind of development.

There are alternatives to the planning application that has been submitted.

“People want to sort the problems out, which is why we hope the owners will meet with us to discuss it.

“We want to work out some solutions.

I don’t want this to be a campaign against something. This application is not right for the location.”

An application to build a three-storey extension and sun lounge to replace a bedroom block and adjoining chalet has also been submitted.

No one at Brockley Hall was available to comment yesterday.