COUNCILLORS will visit a small village later this month to decide whether to allow a model aircraft club to use a nearby field as a base.

Shildon Model Flying Club wants to use a seven-hectare stretch of farmland at Old Eldon, near Shildon, for its members to fly aircraft.

The club, which has 26 senior members and three juniors, asked Sedgefield Borough Council to grant planning permission to extend its use of the site to more than 28 days a year and provide a small take-off and landing area and vehicular access.

Members would have to keep their craft at least 200m from houses and only four would be allowed to fly at a time.

However, villagers objected to the proposal fearing it would be a danger to traffic, ruin a quiet wildlife haven and disrupt the peace of a very rural community.

The council's development control committee will visit the site on Monday, November 29, before making a decision.