SHOCKED residents have vowed to fight plans to build executive homes on part of their mining heritage that they say is Common Land.

Householders in Blackfyne, Consett, are opposing an application - made by Derwentside College on behalf of a development company - to site 13 houses on the Blue Heaps.

The grassland, formed out of the ore heaps from the heyday of the town's steel industry, is a popular spot with youngsters and dog walkers. Residents say it has been used as a short cut between Blackhill and Consett town centre for decades.

They were amazed to discover this week that the three-acre site had belonged to Derwentside College, which says it has sold it on to the developer.

A spokesman for the college said that its involvement in the matter had ceased with the sale of the land to the property developer.

Terence Murray, of nearby Clarence Gardens, said when residents found out about the plan there was a general feeling of disgust and astonishment.

A group of residents has already started a petition demanding that Derwentside District Council reject the scheme out of hand.

"We feel that if this gets even to the planning committee then it has gone too far already," said Mr Murray.

Townsfolk say the Heaps has been used as Common Land for 40 years and are launching a bid to have it registered with Durham County Council.

Under English law, an area that has been used as a local amenity for more than 20 years can be designated as Common Land.

It is also thought to be home to some protected species, including bats and badgers.

The college gained ownership of the land when it became independent of Durham County Council in 1993. Before that, the site belonged to the county council.

It became an infamous part of the region's heritage in 1858, when it was the scene of the Battle of Blue Heaps, a riot between locals and immigrant Irish workers.

Last December a plaque was erected commemorating the event, as part of landscape works carried out by the Acorn Trust.

"If the council doesn't listen to us then this could turn into the Battle of Blue Heaps, part two," said Mr Murray.

The application is expected to come before Derwentside District Council's development control committee on October 10, at a meeting in Consett Civic Centre.