THE developers behind plans to build a garden village at Dissington say the majority of people are in favour of the scheme – citing an Ipsos MORI poll which showed that 66 per cent of Tynedale residents were unopposed.

Chairman of property development company Lugano Richard Robson said he expected the scheme to go ahead.

“This groundbreaking research shows that the vision for Dissington Garden Village is very much in tune with public opinion in Tynedale.

“The Budget has increased national housing targets, reflecting the broad consensus that more homes are desperately needed for younger generations.”

He added that a county council decision, made in March by the previous Labour administration, to give Dissington the green light was in tune with national policy as well as local public opinion.

However, 200 people attended a protest rally against the proposals in Ponteland earlier this year.

And the new Conservative leadership at county hall scrapped the former administration’s Core Strategy Local Plan, claiming it was unpopular with local residents.

County council leader Coun. Peter Jackson was quick to dispute the findings.

He said: “A number of the claims made here are just simply not true.

“Lugano fails to mention the important fact that this is not recognised as a garden village.

“It is simply a huge application to build on hundreds of acres of green belt.”

A spokesman for Northumberland County Council said: “The council is required to reconsider an application in cases where a significant policy change has the potential to affect an existing ‘minded to approve’ resolution from committee, but where the final decision has not yet been issued.

“This will be the case with the Dissington Garden Village application.”

Lugano has so far chosen not to comment on the council’s statement.