RESIDENTS of a market town cul-de-sac are celebrating the news that a children's play area will be kept as it is.

Councillors yesterday approved plans by Broadacres Housing Association and Yuill Homes to build 75 homes on an old prison garden site in Northallerton, but insisted a number of conditions be imposed.

The amendments to the plan will mean no changes will be made to the cul-de-sac on Valley Road and therefore the grass verge will remain in tact for the children to play on.

Valley Road residents had protested for weeks against proposals by Yuill Homes to remove a section of their verge and create six parking spaces.

At the Hambleton development control committee meeting on Thursday local resident Katja Tolonen-Wilkinson had spoken on their behalf.

Ward Councillor John Coulson said at the meeting that the revised plan would mean the cul-de-sac would remain private

"This is an important site for Northallerton, but more so for the people who live around there," he said.

Mrs Smales, who had spearheaded the campaign against the plans, said yesterday: "We feel as though people were finally listening to our genuine concerns and naturally we were all very pleased with the outcome.

"We were never against the development taking place, just against losing land that we have used and nurtured for more than 15 years. We walked out of the meeting on Thursday feeling very happy."