A Darlington dormitory village may escape having blocks of three-storey flats foisted on it.

Hopes are high in Middleton St George that Mandale Properties of Stockton has had second thoughts about building two blocks of flats and 34 houses on the former Arctic Milburn industrial site in Killinghall Row.

The company was given planning approval last September, but it has submitted a second application for just 28 detached houses on a smaller parcel of land.

Its original scheme may have been scuppered because it would have had to come up with sufficient cash to persuade a thriving factory to sell off its land.

Mr Rob Maxey, who runs Ernest Bennett Saws, told the D&S Times on Wednesday: "We have no intention of moving. It would cost a phenomenal amount of money to do so. We are a Darlington factory which has been here for 36 years and employs 60 people. We also have another factory half a mile up the road. We are very, very busy.

"I am not moving just so someone can put houses on the site. Jobs are more important."

He said there was no dispute with Mandale, which made an offer to owners of land on both ends of the site about a year ago,. Those were later withdrawn.

His main concern now is that he could end up with houses on his doorstep and possible complaints about his factory. "We are not a particularly noisy operation, but we do occasionally work nights. I understand the fact we were here first doesn't make any difference."

Coun Doris Jones said: "Planners will have to take that into account. People can't expect to move in and the company to stop work because the noise is annoying them.

"Some consideration will have to be given to sound buffers around the factory and people will have to make a commonsense judgement before buying a property.

"The parish council has no objections to this new scheme because it doesn't include the two blocks of flats the village did not want - 60 flats in all."

Mr Jim Lilico, an officer with Darlington Borough Council environmental services department, said: "We would have to have another look at the situation in the light of the new application.

"We have to bear in mind once it goes ahead it does change the character of the neighbourhood. We are always aware that an existing business will be affected by housing development.

"We do an assessment of all the implications and try to ensure that problems don't arise."

There was no-one from Mandale Properties available for comment this week.