NEARLY 130 homes could be built on the site of Darlington College of Technology after it makes a £30m move to a new base.

Luxury property developer Charles Church has submitted plans to the borough council for apartment blocks, detached and town houses on the land in Cleveland Avenue.

The buildings would be three and four-storey.

Darlington borough Councillors will be asked to approve the development next week.

The college is planning to relocate to a site in Haughton Road, which it hopes to open in August 2006.

Planning officers are recommending that the site it isvacating should be developed by Charles Church.

They have advised planning committee members to approve the proposals for 129 properties when they meet next Wednesday.

Objectors have made their views known to the planning department, with 11 letters submitted.

They say the density of the development is too high, that a four-storey block should be reduced to three, and that there will be a huge volume of traffic generated.

There are also concerns the development could have a considerable impact on the existing housing in Abbey Road.

Councillor Philip Stamford-Bewlay is against the scheme, arguing against the four-storey building.

The Campaign to Protect Rural England is also opposed to the scheme, saying that there would be little open space featured on the site .

But a report to councillors says the development of such land is encouraged by Government planning guidance.

It says: "The application has generated a number of objections. These objections argue against the development for a range of reasons, mainly relating to privacy, over-bearingness, finished floor levels and the protection of trees.

"The applicants contend that they have amended the scheme with a view to addressing many of these issues, and officers are now satisfied that the amendments have gone a sufficient way to mitigate these concerns."

The report concludes that there are "no material reasons to withhold the grant of planning permission in this case".