A COMMUNITY is appealing to council planning chiefs to refuse planning permission for seven new homes in a village.

Residents of Edmundbyers, in Weardale, fear that if planning permission is given for the new homes, the neighbourhood will become grid-locked with extra cars.

People said they felt that the new development is out of character and will spoil a conservation area and an area of outstanding natural beauty.

Whitehall Executive Developments wants to build seven homes at The Closes, next to Edmundbyers Village Hall.

But residents say the site is only large enough for five houses.

Villagers said the Wear Valley Local Development Plan gave a guideline of ten houses on the land, five of which have already been built.

Council planning officers state this was not an adopted policy but contained in a draft plan.

Roy Tyreman, chairman of the Edmundbyers annual parish meeting, said: "Seven houses is just too many for this village.

"We already have parking problems in Edmundbyers, especially when there is a village hall event, the local pub is busy or when hikers leave their cars.

"Seven large family homes could easily have two, three or four cars each, with work vehicles and visitors on top of that, there just isn't room for that many in the cul-de-sac. If the development was reduced to five houses, which we always believed it would be, the situation would be much better."

The plans are for six four-bedroom properties and one five-bedroom house, all different styles but all include some characteristics found in traditional stone houses in Weardale.

Planning officers at Wear Valley District Council said the buildings were in keeping with the local character and staff had worked with the developer to reduce the plans by one property.

But residents, who held a public meeting recently, said the development was not in keeping with its surroundings.

Mr Tyreman said: "Taking one house from the site has helped but seven is still too many for that land.

"There is not enough garden space for each house and it is too overbearing for the centre of Edmundbyers, which only has around 40 houses.

"I hope the councillors will look carefully at this proposal and the impact it will have on the whole village."

Wear Valley District Council's development control committee will consider the plans tonight.