PLANS to build 12 council flats on green space have sparked opposition from residents, months after proposals to build a bigger development on the site were defeated by protestors.

Darlington Borough Council previously abandoned plans to build 24 flats on the land off Eggleston View, close to the Cocker Beck conservation area, following public opposition but officials had insisted that the authority would still develop the site.

A new application from the council to build two blocks of six affordable flats on the undeveloped land has now been submitted for a decision by the council’s own planning committee, which meets on Wednesday, November 19.

The Friends of Cocker Beck have submitted a lengthy objection letter to planners, as have ten residents who live close to the site, which will connect to Fountains View.

In a report prepared for councillors, the council’s planning officers have recommended the application for approval, stating that the proposed development “is not considered harmful to visual amenity”.

On the issue of the loss of green space from Cocker Beck, planning officers note: “Cocker Beck is a valued area of open land which the Green Infrastructure Strategy seeks to protect and enhance.

“The application will result in the loss of some open space in the wider Cocker Beck area. Although the loss of open space is not generally supported by policy, a landscape package has been proposed to mitigate this.

“The loss of a relatively small section of the open land, adjacent to existing houses, is not considered harmful to the appearance of the open land as a whole to the extent that planning permission should be refused.

“The loss of the open land also needs to be balanced against other considerations such as providing affordable housing in an otherwise sustainable area.”

The letters of objection from ten residents raise concerns about the visual impact to the area, the loss of recreational open space, increased traffic and the impact on local amenities.

The Friends of Cocker Beck note in their letter that Cocker Beck is listed as important in the council’s own Green Infrastructure Strategy and argue that the site is vital to local biodiversity.

The Friends have also raised a further enquiry into the process that lead to the site being identified as a potential housing allocation and commented that other sites are more suitable for development.