A PLAN to build social housing in a former pit village have won planning permission despite the objections of residents.

The Durham Villags Regeneration Company, the company partly founded by the now defunct Durham City Council, will build the five three-bed properties for successor authority Durham County Council on open space at Robson Crescent in Bowburn.

The Labour-run council has secured Government funding for the scheme and its central and east Durham area planning committee has now approved the development.

Planning officer Allan Simpson told the committee that two semi-detached homes and a block of three mid-linked houses were proposed for the site.

But councillors were told there were five objections from residents and the Bowburn and Parkhill Partnership who voiced concern about the block of three houses being out of character with surrounding properties, the loss of privacy for bungalows behind the site and parking problems.

Resident Martin Ridley addressed the committee, saying: "We have lost two major pieces of open space to residential development.

"It just seems you are not interested in the open space side of things. The houses are going to come above everything.

"We are not against housing in principle but why couldn't it be two sets of semis like the rest of the estate?"

Councillor for the area Jan Blakey echoed residents' concerns, saying that children had to travel half a mile to get to the nearest play area.

Ian Prescott of the company said that the homes would meet environmental standards and would feature photo-voltaic panels that generate electricity and high levels of insulation.

"They will be some of the most environmentally-friendly homes being built in County Durham and, in fact, the North-East.''

He said the design was similar to homes the company had built nearby and that there were terraces of houses scattered about the estate.

Mr Simpson said the development would bring clear and quantifiable regeneration benefits that outweighed the loss of the open space.

Parking provision was considered generous and the design of the scheme was considered acceptable.