RESIDENTS claim their village will be spoilt if two large semi-detached houses are built on one of its remaining open spaces.

Twelve of them turned up at an appeal hearing to oppose Enid Bainbridge, who wants to put up the houses in the garden of her home at Rock Villa, in Mickleton, near Barnard Castle.

She was appealing against a decision by Teesdale District Council to refuse planning consent for the development, in the Lowside section of the village.

Trevor Watson, the council's principal planning officer, told the hearing that the site is in the village's conservation area.

He said all the traditional stone buildings in the area were important, but the spaces between them were important too - and the garden was one space which should be retained.

One resident, Sarah Cox, said the village would lose much of its attraction if further house building was allowed.

Other villagers spoke of the need to keep the spaces, and also claimed that two extra houses would lead to congestion and danger on the narrow roads, especially on steep slopes in winter.

Planning consultant Nicola Allan, who presented Mrs Bainbridge's case, said the council had allowed houses to be built on some of the other open spaces in the past. The two homes proposed would fit in perfectly well and would have little impact on the local roads.

The hearing was told Mickleton Parish Council was against the scheme, and 14 local residents had signed letters opposing it, while two had written in favour.

Planning inspector Wenda Fabian visited the site after the hearing and will announce her verdict soon.