Bid for homes on 'village green' faces opposition

By Bessie Robinson

Northern Echo July 4^th 2003

PLANS for 90 homes in the centre of Witton Park are meeting strong opposition from residents.

Campaigners against the proposals said they expected to receive backing from villagers at a public meeting on Tuesday.

The homes would occupy grassland either side of Queen Street, which residents regard as the village green.

Once occupied by pitmen's cottages, the site is mostly owned by Wear Valley District Council, which has prepared a development brief for potential builders.

The area was restored by a village action group, which planted trees and laid grass in the mid-1980s, raising money to pay an Army team to do the work.

Former action group member Rosina Hayton said yesterday: "Building on our green would completely destroy the character of the village.

"This is where our children play football, cricket and rounders, little ones learn to ride their bikes and we walk our dogs.

"There are not enough services in the area for more houses. The schools are full, we haven't a shop, and one of our two pubs has just closed.

"We worked hard to get this green, and we will fight hard to keep it."

Resident Linda Butler said: "There are 230 houses in Witton Park, and this would be almost half as many again. We have a close community and building a big estate where people don't know each other would destroy that."

A petition is circulating in the village and residents have been asked for their views before Friday, July 18, so planning officers can report to a regeneration committee on July 30.

Although the council owns much of the land, some parts of it have remained in private ownership, and buying them up could be a lengthy and expensive process.

David Townsend, the council's head of development and building control, said: "The principal for development was agreed in the Local Plan of March 1997, and we are bringing this up to date.

"We are testing the market to see if there is interest from developers."

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