RESIDENTS have objected to a housing firm's plans to amend and extend a development because of the economic climate.

Persimmon Homes' proposed housing site on the old Darlington College site, in Cleveland Avenue, will be increased from 114 to 123 homes under its new application.

Darlington Borough Council's planning committee will discuss the two sets of plans next week when officers will recommend that the scheme be approved.

However, five neighbours have raised a series of objections to Persimmon's plans.

Three sets of plans were previously approved for the site - between April 2004 to October 2006 - that would have seen a total of 114 homes being built. They included apartments, three-storey town houses and detached homes.

Planning officers said the site was under construction, but added: "Due to the economic climate, the completition of the development has taken longer than anticipated and the applicant has revisited the marketability of the site.

"They have submitted two planning applications which essentially involve the omission of the approved large detached dwellings on the western edge of the site and replace them with dwellings they consider to be more marketable."

Residents have objected because they feel the homes would be too close to their own and say more houses would also impact on traffic, noise, lighting, be overbearing and increase flooding risk. There are also concerns about the number of trees to be felled.

One resident said: "It is a very sad situation that a developer who requested seven more properties immediately behind Dale Road in 2006 is now requesting even more.

"In 2006, permission was granted for six of the seven properties. That is a high percentage of success in anyone's book. Now the company is asking for nine more dwellings, plus permission for properties closer to the boundaries of Dale Road and Elton Road."

Another added: "For more than 80 years, the standard of residential amenity has been very high. May future generations enjoy the same standard, balance and wonderful trees."

The planning officer who recommended approval said in his conclusion that the proposals had "no significant impact" on loss of daylight or sunlight to neighbouring properties and did not impact on car parking, highway safety or crime prevention.

"The development respects the amenity and general character of the area, " he added.

Wednesday's planning meeting takes place in the town hall at 1.30pm. It is open to the public.