VILLAGERS' hopes of saving recreation land from development look likely to be dashed.

Durham County Council's licensing committee will be recommended to reject their attempt to have the land designated a village green.

A group of residents in Ushaw Moor has been fighting for the past two years to prevent 148 homes being built near Broom Lane.

Durham City Council, which is spearheading a regeneration project in Ushaw Moor and surrounding former pit villages, has formed a company, Durham Villages Regeneration, with Doncaster developer Keepmoat to build the first-time buyer homes on the land, which it controls.

The council, which has given the development planning permission, say the housing is vital to the funding of the Single Regeneration Budget scheme and will help to breathe new life into the area.

But residents say there is no need for more housing in the village and that the development will swallow up important recreation land.

Durham County Council referred the application for village green status to a barrister.

A report to the licensing committee says that the barrister is satisfied that the site meets most of the legal criteria for village green registration, as it has been used for recreation for more than 20 years.

But the report concludes that permission for the use of the land by the city council was permissive, rather than as of right.

It recommends that the application should, therefore, be rejected.

Resident Jim Haggett, who lodged an objection, said: "I am disappointed by the recommendation. We will continue to fight, but I don't know how we will fight.

"We have got deeds that show that the land was bought for a recreation ground. We were told they could never build on it.

"We say there is no need for housing. Work has started on a new private housing development and there are boarded-up council houses that are being sold off."

Mr Haggett said that both the City of Durham Trust and Sport England had opposed the development.

The planning approval given by the city council was subject to the agreement of the Government.