CAMPAIGNERS angry about plans to build 350 homes in Yarm have vowed to go to a judicial review if the Government fails to intervene.

The political fall-out over Stockton Borough Council’s decision to allow the houses to be built at Morley Carr Farm also continued at a meeting of the full council where a row broke out over the issue of housing policy in south Stockton.

Various groups across the district have expressed concerns at the number of houses and scale of planning applications for the area.

At a meeting of Yarm Town Council, the Stop the Morley Farm Action Group said the group would request funding from the town council for a judicial review in an attempt to reverse Stockton council’s decision to approve the development.

The decision is being examined by the Department for Local Government and campaigners hope it will be called in.

However, if it is not, the action group wants to take the fight to the courts, arguing the decision is the “thin end of the wedge” that could lead to thousands more homes being built.

Action group member Peter Horner said in the meeting: “It’s hopefully going to be called in, but this issue is time sensitive.

If we need go the other route, we need to be quick.”

At Stockton Borough Council’s full council meeting, Councillor Ken Lupton, leader of the Conservative group, also took up the issue.

He said that developers were taking advantage of the council’s shortfall in its fiveyear plan to provide sufficient homes.

In a question to Bob Cook, leader of the council, he said that shortfall was not a reason to approve Morley Carr Farm because it was only a temporary problem and has set a “very dangerous” precedent for other applications.

He went on to call for the leader to say he was predisposed to oppose an application to build 735 new homes on land off Green Lane.

Councillor Cook countered that each decision had to be considered on its own merits and planning committee members could not make their minds up before hearing the application.