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Durham Police objection sees Raven Court children's home refused

Plans to convert a house into a children's home have been turned down amid objections from residents and County Council's planning committee rejected proposals for a home for three children on Raven Court in Shildon, County Police had objected, saying the location was unsuitable, while residents said its proximity to a nature reserve posed a risk to the children and put pressure on Taylor, from applicants The Family Tree Group, said it would have given youngsters the chance to "grow up in a home, not a facility". The property backs onto Middridge Vale, which itself backs on to a large nature reserve that is in some parts covered by dense woodland, which police advised posed a "great risk" to children who went missing from force also said there was a higher level of crime and anti-social behaviour in the area and so thought the location of the property was "not suitable for looked-after children". Letters of objection Residents said there had been heightened anxiety for the wellbeing of the area since the application was submitted, the Local Democracy Reporting Service Craddock, a single mother-of-two, said: "The proximity of this house to the nature reserve is a risk to all the children in the home and puts massive pressure on police services."We are not unreasonable people, it just doesn't work."In total, 117 letters of objection were Mr Taylor disputed the concerns, saying the facility would have been supported by trained carers 24/7."The police are stereotyping the children as criminals but they are victims," he members praised the applicant's intentions to support vulnerable children but said the police force's concerns were too serious to Elizabeth Pears said: "We are not working on the assumption that all of these children are going to be trouble. "But what has concerned me is the fact that the police believe that these children will not be safe there."That is the main reason that I'm not happy with it." Follow BBC Tees on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.