PROTESTORS have vowed to press on with plans to save a green space after a developer won the right to build houses on it.

Strathmore Homes has won planning permission to build about 90 executive houses on the site of the old Derwentside College in Consett.

But residents in nearby Aynsley Terrace say the top of the site is part of Blackhill and Consett Park and want it preserved.

Protestors' spokesman Greg Coltman said the group would see through its application with Durham County Council to have the area registered as a village green.

"Although the plans to build were passed by the council we are not too despondent," he said.

"As it is in the Blackhill Conservation Area we are taking the matter further. We are confident that we will obtain village green status here and the conservation area will be safe by default."

The developer and residents have been at loggerheads since January. When Strathmore Homes applied to cut down on-site trees that it claimed were dangerous, the householders succeeded in getting a blanket tree preservation order to protect them.

The developer further outraged residents when it built an eight feet chipboard safety fence around the trees and blocked off a public footpath across the site.

Derwentside District Council's development control committee approved the building plans, with conditions attached to ensure a path to the park is re-opened.

Once half of the houses on the estate have been sold, Strathmore will also have to bring it up to adopted standard - meaning a hard surface and lighting. Other conditions will see the fence reduced to one metre. The developer will also have to erect scaffolding to protect nearby trees during the construction phase.

District council leader Alex Watson said: "These conditions are crucial to the planning approval. The improvements and lighting for the footpath will make it a much better facility."

James Johnston, director of Strathmore Homes, said: "We are delighted to finally have planning permission. The village green application is still there and obviously that will have to be dealt with.

"The building work will be done in two phases and we will start at the other end of the site, so it does not affect our initial development. We have no intention of starting work at the top end until next year."