PEOPLE have vowed to fight plans for a housing development near the railway museum being created in Shildon.

The Shildon on Track Development was unveiled at a public meeting in the town yesterday.

The project by Theakston Estates revealed plans to build 270 "high quality, energy efficient and well-designed houses" and the creation of informal recreation, landscaping and woodland on former farm land between Shildon and Middridge.

But the plans were greeted with anger by people living in nearby High Thickley Park, who say they did not find out about the public meeting, at the Jubilee Fields Community Centre, until the last minute.

Ellen Barker, from Almond Court, accused the developers of trying to keep the project a secret and said she delivered leaflets to let her neighbours know about it.

She said: "Half of the people would not be here if I had not put leaflets through their door. It is disgusting.''

Christopher Harrison, for Theakston Estates, said the company had written to the Jubilee Fields Residents' Association and other community groups separately.

He said: "This is just the start of the consultation exercise. We are targeting various resident groups and associations, rather than have one big public meeting before we go ahead with a planning application.''

He said meetings were planned with other residents' groups, including Middridge Parish Council and Shildon Town Council.

The proposals will also be on display in Shildon Library from June 10.

Many of the residents living at High Thickley Park say that they paid extra for their homes so that they could have a view.

Alan Harbottle, whose home will look on to the new development, said: "We were told when we bought our house that nobody would be building on that land. That is why we moved there and we paid extra to do so.''

Other concerns mentioned at the meeting included access issues, with residents saying that there were traffic problems in Spout Lane and through Middridge Village, and that the development would exacerbate the problems.