CAMPAIGNERS who opposed plans to build flats in the West End of Darlington are gearing up for a fresh battle.

Shepherd Homes has submitted a new application to build 41 flats in the wooded grounds of Greystones, a Victorian villa in Carmel Road North.

A similar proposal was thrown out by councillors in April, against the advice of planning officers, after the biggest objection ever received to a single development in the town.

Protestors wrote more than 250 letters against the application and 150 people were in the council chamber for the planning committee meeting.

The developers have lodged an appeal against the original decision and made a fresh application with minor modifications.

Carmel Road resident David Hayward, who led the campaign, accused developers of bullying tactics.

He said: "We are furious and amazed that Shepherd Homes have come back and submitted a virtually identical scheme, which now has to be fought again through the planning procedure.

"It is a complete waste of money and makes a mockery of the planning system."

Protestors say they fear Greystones, one of the last remaining Victorian villas in the West End, will fall derelict if it is surrounded by flats.

They say the development would increase the volume of traffic on Carmel Road North.

There are also concerns that an important area of woodland would be lost to wildlife, including the destruction of up to 80 mature trees.

Mr Hayward said: "If they're allowed to do that it's going to make a complete mockery of the tree preservation order which the whole of the West End of Darlington is protected by."

A spokesman for Shepherd Homes said: "We developed our original proposal in close consultation with the planners, and they met planning guidelines in full, so we are confident that the scheme will be passed on appeal.

"However, we have taken the opportunity to make a small but significant change in the plans, in response to the reasonable concerns which were expressed.

"If this revised application is passed, the process will be quicker and potentially cheaper for the local authority than having to proceed with the appeal."

echo