RESIDENTS turned out in force to urge councillors to reject plans to house four adults with learning difficulties in their street.

About 30 people living in Beechwood Drive, Bishop Auckland, gathered at Wear Valley District Council's planning committee in a bid to stop plans to convert a domestic garage into a bedroom with en-suite shower and toilet facilities.

They say the area has a close-knit community where children can play safely and they fear that the introduction of the scheme, by Newcastle and Whitley Housing Trust, would ruin that.

County councillor John Lethbridge, speaking at the meeting on their behalf, said: "They have decided to impose their scheme on Henknowle, which is known as an area of deprivation. Large efforts are being made by the local authority to regenerate the social and economic balance of the area, and this scheme would seek to undermine these enterprises.''

Residents also complained that the garage conversion would change the street scene and take away vital parking facilities in an area that is already struggling with parking.

A representative from Newcastle and Whitley Housing Trust told councillors that the scheme was supported by Durham County Council social services department and would involve four people with learning difficulties, who already lived in a community.

He said that Beechwood Drive was chosen for the scheme because it was a nice area and an ideal place for the occupants of the house to live and gain more independence.

Councillors were warned that the question of who would live in the house was not a planning issue and were told that they had to base their decision on planning facts only. Councillors then voted to approve the conversion.

After the meeting, a spokesperson from Durham County Council social services said that the Beechwood Drive scheme mirrored 100 other schemes that were already up and running throughout the county - 60 run by the council, and the remaining 40 run and managed by housing associations.

He said: "This sort of reaction is not unusual when people hear about these sort of schemes. But they are very successful and very popular with the residents who are in them. Our experience so far suggests that the fears of residents who initially object to the proposals are entirely unfounded once they are up and running."