PARISH councillors will continue to protest against housing developments they say are stripping their area of its identity after Government officials rejected an invitation to visit.

Egglescliffe Parish Council has been campaigning for five years to prevent the demolition of historic buildings in Eaglescliffe, saying that the modern buildings which replace them are ugly and lack character.

Stockton MP Dari Taylor recently joined their fight, and wrote to Minister of State Keith Hill requesting he visit Eaglescliffe to witness the changes.

But Mr Hill said that he would not be making the journey, despite a further two planning applications currently being considered.

"They were fairly resistant to coming and having a meeting," said Mrs Taylor, "but I think they were legitimately resistant.

"When an issue is not decided in neutral territory, the last thing they want to do is to speak to people who are impassioned about it - and that we certainly are."

There are currently applications pending to demolish the Grange House on Urlay Nook Road and the Clairville Hotel on Yarm Road and replace them with flats, the kind of changes which protestors claim are ruining the historic feel.

Sue Ireland, chairwoman of the parish council, admitted that Mr Hill's decision not to visit Eaglescliffe was a blow.

"The decisions are made by officials from Bristol who probably don't know the area," she said.

"I'd like the Deputy Prime Minister to come down and we'd say, 'take a look at this, see what you've done'."

Ms Ireland, who steps down from her role next month after two years, said: "The soul is being taken out of the town. People who have moved in because of the character of the neighbourhood are really upset.

"All we can do as a parish council is agitate - and believe me, we have agitated. We will keep battling. We do not mind new properties being built, but it's the fact that they're replacing historic buildings."

A spokesman for Keith Hill said: "I cannot comment on this."