PLANS to create a public area for children's rugby in Yarm have been dropped after residents objected to the scheme.

Yarm Recreation Ground Trust and Yarm Rugby Club wanted to use a small area of open space for touch rugby sessions for children aged seven to 11, next to the cricket ground in Leven Road.

But opposition from people in nearby Hemingford Gardens has resulted in the club's decision not to pursue the application further.

In a public notice urging people to object to the plans, an anonymous author outlined concerns about the area no longer being public open space.

It said if rugby posts and fencing were erected, the area would no longer be "the attractive open playing space it currently is."

The notice also highlighted concerns about increased traffic and noise levels at weekends, loss of wildlife and fears about damage caused by loose balls.

About 20 residents also attended a Yarm Town Council meeting to express their opposition to the plans, which the chairman, Coun Philip Addison, said was more than he had seen at a meeting in eight years on the council.

The council expressed concern to the borough over the loss of public space, and asked for more details and a site visit.

At present the rugby, cricket, squash and tennis clubs are the members of the Yarm Recreation Ground Trust, set up in the Twenties by a local family which donated the land.

All share the club house, but while the other clubs have courts and pitches at the trust ground, the rugby club uses Yarm School and Kirklevington Grange Prison's pitches for its senior games.

Alan Bruce, rugby club president, said it wanted to use an acre of the open space within Leven Park estate for young children's touch rugby sessions, and possibly for the senior players as a training area. They had no plans to erect goal posts, but wanted to fence the area to prevent dogs fouling there.

Mr Bruce said the land was part of an area designated as public open space on the Local Plan.

"We just wanted an area of the land, not much bigger than a large garden, to be used by little children for touch rugby, to introduce them to the game, which we thought would be welcomed.

"But we don't think it's worth all this upset, so we have decided to try to rent some facilities from one of the schools, because there are no public facilities in Yarm."

He added: "The size of the recreation ground and facilities have not changed in 30 years, even though Yarm's population has trebled since then.

"I think it's ridiculous that people have taken this attitude, but I think there has been some misunderstanding."

The rugby club will also look at the Children's Society report which highlights the problem of youngsters forced to play indoors, by "intolerant adults" unwilling to allow children to make normal levels of noise outside, to see if it gives any guidance.

l See Letters, page 22