PLANNING officials have refused an application to build a house on farmland near Ferryhill.

The plan to provide housing for farmworkers at Metal Bridge, was considered by Sedgefield Borough Council's development control committee.

The applicants said there was a need for at least two workers to live there on the grounds of animal welfare, security and accessibility.

An agricultural consultant employed by the council to assess the application reported that activities on the holding were primarily arable, with no livestock that needed a residential presence.

The report said there was clearly no essential need in agricultural terms for a further home on the site and no justification for a temporary home.

In view of the report, councillors agreed with the officers' recommendation to refuse the application.