Ponteland up in arms over proposed council plans

Campaigners in the Northumberland village of Ponteland say it will now become a town as a result of plans which have been approved.

The County Council has given the go ahead to three schemes which will substantially increase the size of the community.

The developments are all on greenbelt - the council says they will provide much needed housing.

Plans to expand Ponteland have generated objections that are visible on the streets, and the council chamber at the county hall was packed, as the planning committee approved three applications for the village.

All together there'll be an extra 2,400 homes.

Opponents say it will irrevocable change their community:

The leisure centre will be demolished to make way for new schools and a sports complex.

Two-thousand of the houses will be part of a garden village at Dissington close to Darras Hall. Gardening Villages are the governments preferred way of building nearly 1 million homes nationally by 2020.

The plans will now go to the National Planning Inspectorate who can give the go-ahead in 21 days or pass them to the local governments secretary to make a decision.