A CONTROVERSIAL housing plan on the site of Billingham's annual carnival and flower show was rejected by councillors at the weekend.

Stockton Borough Council's planning committee visited the area known as the Bulgarth, in old Billingham, on Saturday morning and then held a meeting to decide whether ten elderly people's bungalows could be built there.

Despite a recommendation from council planners to approve the development, the committee voted against it.

Councillors also agreed the site should be cleaned up by the authority and re-classified as open space so that housing cannot be built there in the future.

Those protesting against the housing association bungalows included carnival organisers, who claim there is nowhere else for the event to be held, residents and local businesses, who use the land for parking.

Councillor Steven Smailes told the meeting that to build on the council-owned site, just off Station Road, would "rip the heart out of the local community".

"This, in my opinion, is what I call sardine development where you are cramming in bungalows for people over 55 and I think you are not doing a service to those people," he said.

Councillor Norman Teasdale said the development would ruin nearby businesses which needed the land for customer parking.

"I don't think we are in the business, in planning, of wiping out local businesses," he said.

The proposals, put forward by Tees Valley Housing Association, had sparked major opposition, with 25 letters of objection. More than 100 people voted against the plan at a public meeting last month.

Harry Davies, chairman of Billingham Regeneration Partnership's town centre sub-committee, said after the meeting he was delighted that the future of the carnival was now secure.

"I'm appalled to think that a council, any council, could have designated this land for housing," he said.

"It's now involved with one of the most vibrant community events on Teesside - the old Billingham carnival.

"It would have been vandalism to destroy it."

Coun Teasdale added: "I'm greatly relieved that the application was refused.

"The feeling against it was tremendous."