A RESIDENTS' association has pledged to continue its fight to stop a house in its street being used by four people with learning disabilities.

The Pine Grove Residents' Association in Darlington had objected to a planning application by Darlington Learning Disabilities Service (DLDS) to house four of its clients in a building in the West End of Darlington.

The residents' association had questioned the legality of the service applying to house four people in a normal home rather than applying for planning permission to create a specialist care hostel.

But earlier this week, the service was granted a certificate of lawfulness to use 11 Pine Grove to house four of its clients.

The house is owned by Golden Lane Housing, a charity set up by Mencap to provide accommodation for people with mental disabilities

Following the decision, a spokesman for the residents' association said they were disappointed by the decision.

He said: "It is the wrong type of house in the wrong street to be a care hostel.

"We are pursing the possibility of invoking the restrictive covenant that applies to all the houses in Pine Grove - that they should be private dwelling houses.

"All householders have abided by this restriction and all the houses have been private for 30 years.

"Why should Golden Lane Housing and the DLDS deviate from this restriction?

"Previous judgements have decided that similar care hostels can not be considered as private dwellings."

However, a spokesman for the DLDS has said the clients who will move into Pine Grove have low or no care needs and simply need help in finding accommodation.

They will bring their own furniture and household goods to the property to make it a shared house rather than a care home.

Tenancies for the house would not be offered to clients with a history of offending or conduct that could put others at risk.

Three of the potential four residents are old friends and two already live in the same residential care home but are now ready for an independent life.

Supporting the scheme, Councillor David Lyonette said: "This is not a new idea. In every case, the tenants are accepted by the community as a household."