A CONTROVERSIAL plan to sell land adjoining Redcar and Cleveland College has been given the green light by planners despite objections from local residents.

The college wants to build a £3m arts and sports complex but needs to sell land at its Redcar Lane site to finance the scheme. The land would be used to build a church, housing and a nursing home.

Members of Redcar and Cleveland Council's planning committee visited the site on Wednesday.

Lynne Howe, principal of Redcar and Cleveland College, told a meeting at the college following the visit it was "waste land used only as a toilet for dogs."

But residents said the land was the only piece of green land for their children to play on, keeping them off the streets and away from drugs.

The committee voted in favour of the sale by six votes to five. Coun Joyce Benbow said: "I feel it is the day democracy died."

Coun Benbow angered college students by saying those who did arts and media courses were on a road to unemployment.

The students finished their studies last week but came to the meetings to show their support.

Mrs Benbow said: "If they do a degree in films and drama they don't get a job."

Mrs Howe said she and the students were angry at Mrs Benbow's comments. "There are skills shortages particularly with technicians and artists and IT. She is displaying ignorance of the cultural skills shortage and ignorance of our college's performance," she said.

But Coun Benbow said: "I don't think it is insulting them, I understand that the jobs are not there. To find there is no job at the end of it is very heartbreaking and I don't want to see people in that position."