PLANS to build five houses on the site of a former prisoner of war camp have caused uproar among residents.

The application, discussed at this month’s Allendale Parish Council meeting, is for five four-bedroomed homes on land behind Catton Methodist Chapel.

The site was the location of the Second World War Catton Camp, which opened in 1946 and was used as a labour source for agricultural work.

However, residents fear the development will create an increase in noise and disturbance and have an effect on the landscape and wildlife of the surrounding area.

Speaking at the parish council meeting, local resident Ricky Williams, said: “There is no housing need locally for five four-bedroomed homes. There are empty homes in the village and the proposed homes will not be affordable – neither can they be considered infill.

“The junction where the development will be built is one of the most dangerous locally, with traffic travelling around a blind bend into a junction with a severely restricted view.

“Catton residents already park around this junction, making it more dangerous and the parking suggested in the plans will not be sufficient to mitigate this.

“Covering the land with a considerable area of concrete and tarmac will exacerbate the flood risk to all properties below the development.

“As this proposal is for self-build, there could be an especially long time during which the disturbance and noise from this development will affect our daily lives.

“This will have a detrimental effect on our mental health.”

Peter Osborne, who lives on nearby Allen View, said large vehicles using the area would pose a serious safety risk.

“How are they going to get a wagon up past that passageway,” he said. “There’s no access for amenities or vehicles.”

At the meeting, Coun. Robert Philipson proposed that the parish council should make no objection to the application with Coun. Valeria Dunn seconding as it was in keeping with Allendale Neighbourhood Development Plan.

However, the council agreed to raise concerns with the county council about residential and amenity access to the site, parking, drainage, ecological impact and loss of amenity to existing neighbours.

It also noted that Allendale’s housing needs survey prioritised a need for smaller houses.

The applicant, Trevor Newman from Newman Developments Ltd, was contacted for comment.