FEARS have been voiced that the region's development blueprint could hit the regeneration of former pit villages.

Many communities across County Durham are still fighting to secure their future, decades after collieries closed.

The Regional Spatial Strategy, drawn up by the North-East Assembly to set a framework for development in the region until 2021, has been criticised for not allocating enough new housing to County Durham.

Durham County Council, which is objecting to the proposed policy, fears its population will not grow while new building is focused on Tyne and Wear and Teesside.

Chief executive Kingsley Smith said yesterday it was "totally unacceptable for us to be asked to plan for economic decline" while Labour councillor Len O'Donnell said it would "set us back 25 years".

At a public meeting last night on the plan in Durham City, city councillor Mike Syer said he was concerned the proposal could hamper efforts in his village, Bowburn, and others like it.

He told the meeting, attended by about 40 people, the village was due to get a facelift to include the demolition and replacement of old housing.

He said: "From what I have seen of the housing proposal, there won't be the flexibility to expand in the way that is needed to get it off the skids.

"I worry that the limitation of a 140 net increase in houses over the next 17 years for the whole of my district will affect my village and others.''

However, Malcolm Bowes, assembly assistant director, said the strategy aimed to bring more jobs to the region, replace poor quality housing and increase the rate of new house building.

Village revamps were "entirely consistent with what we would expect'' and councils would have flexibility in deciding where new housing went in the areas.

Councillor Syer said the net amount of new housing should not be decided piecemeal.

Mr Bowes also said the plan proposed concentrating new housing on the conurbations, partly to reduce the amount of commuting in the region.

He added that the predicted death rate in County Durham was expected to outstrip births and people moving to the county. He said there would be further discussion on contentious aspects of the plan in the hope of reaching agreement.