A CONTROVERSIAL flats development in Redcar has been given the go-ahead by the slenderest of margins

An application by Cleveland Housing Aid Trust to build 16 flats in four two-storey blocks at Wheatlands Farm, Redcar Road, was considered by Redcar and Cleveland Council planning committee on Wednesday.

The ensuing vote resulted in a tie of six for and six against.

Chairman, Coun Peter Spencer, opted to use his casting vote in favour of the application.

After the meeting, he said: "This is the third time this application has been presented to us and it has undergone changes that go a long way to meeting what we asked for.

"While I appreciated residents' concerns, I felt strongly enough in favour to use my casting vote."

The planning committee had refused an earlier application for 20 flats, which is still the subject of an appeal.

The previous application resulted in 540 letters of objection, with residents arguing that the flats would not blend in with the surrounding area.

Coun Mike Findley said residents were angry at the decision and were considering their options on how to continue the fight against the development.

He said: "The residents are gutted. I felt that they put a very good case forward and there was even a letter from the police saying that the road already has problems and, as far as they are concerned, the junctions are not adequate for heavy volumes of traffic."

He added: "The feeling is still - whether it was 22, 20 or 16 flats - that they just don't fit in with the other houses on the estates."

He said residents were considering holding a meeting to discuss possible ways of challenging the planning committee's decision.