PARISH councillors in Darlington are up in arms about street nameplates on a new development.

A reference to a famous 18th century farming family has incensed members of Archdeacon Newton Parish Council because the place where the plates are sited has apparently no connection at all with the people concerned.

And council chairman Norman Welch says this is happening more and more as Darlington Borough Council does not have enough input into the naming of new roads.

The two inscriptions refer to the Colling brothers - who reared the first Shorthorn cattle - and their father.

But none of them lived at West Park. And there was no family farm on the site. The only agricultural link seems to be Mount Pleasant Farm on an opposite field.

Coun Welch says the situation is "pathetic."

And he is calling for greater consultation with local people on the naming of roads and streets.

But the "facilitator" of an art strategy for the development was furious about the criticism.

Tony Cooper, a director of developers Bussey and Armstrong, said: "We are trying to be imaginative and creative here.

"The Collings were part of the agricultural revolution and we are also featuring famous names from the industrial era."

He said the partnership which oversees the art strategy for the development is putting together a publication detailing the history and background to the street names and other cultural features.

"If Coun Welch has a problem he should come to us and we will explain," he said. "We put forward proposals which are agreed by the borough council and Royal Mail. To start involving other parties' whims would make the process unwieldy.

"We have done public presentations and we are also doing this out of goodwill, not using public money."

Mr Cooper said the Colling names are part of a sequence which all links in. He said the name plates had been taken out of context.

"This criticism is nonsense and I am sick of people being negative," he said.

Coun Welch bemoaned the loss of a committee which used to be responsible for new names.

"Now, the names are chosen by developers who tell the council, which then has 28 days to comment. The authority says this does not allow time to consult town or parish councils," said Coun Welch.

He wants to see a system in which ward councillors are asked for comments.

Borough ward councillor Eric Roberts said this idea was feasible and is to investigate the suggestion.

Coun Welch said the West Park signs are misleading.

"I am very worried about this," he said. "We certainly won't let this rest.

"We want consultation with local people - not builders who only have a vague notion of the history of the place."

A spokesman for Darlington Council said developers put proposals to the authority, which checks for possible duplication and with Royal Mail. Then the matter is delegated to an officer and a member.

"The time schedule for all this is tight, but we are aiming to build in a consultation process so that parish and town councils can have some input," he said.

* On Tuesday, a meeting of the Darlington Association of Parish Councils was told the borough council was issuing a letter of clarification to each parish explaining the criteria for objecting to a proposed street name