A PROMISE to work with the community on plans for the future of a hotly disputed village green is the message of a police boss.

The Police, Crime and Victims’ Commissioner for County Durham and Darlington, Ron Hogg, met Barnard Castle residents and town councillors for a public meeting on Wednesday night, to discuss the future of the town's old police station at Bede Kirk.

The site had been earmarked for development by Mr Hogg to raise funds for Durham Police, but a campaign by residents resulted in a successful application for village green status.

At the meeting, Mr Hogg congratulated the community on their successful campaign, and pledged to work with Barnard Castle Town Council and residents to come up with the best solution for both the building and accompanying village green.

Mr Hogg said he would not be appealing the decision as the cost would be too great for the taxpayer and he wanted to "honour" the community's views.

He also said he had not attended the Durham County Council's Highways Committee when the decision was made simply because he had not been invited.

He said: "Thank you for coming along, I know there has been a lot of strong community feeling around Barnard Castle."

Mr Hogg took the opportunity to explain his reasons for objecting to the village green application and said he had to "use the tax payers' money to best effect" and had a duty to get the best return for a police asset that could generate substantial income for the force.

"I had to discharge my legal duty and quite rightly the community had a different perspective and we took that on board," he said. "A decision has been made and I have got to say at the time, I was massively disappointed at the decision because if you look at the legal advice, it was inconceivable that that decision should be made.

"I congratulate you on your campaign. I'm a democrat and democratically elected so I want to work with the town council to take matters forward."

Mr Hogg said he intended to gift the land to the community on behalf of the force and said an interim licence was being prepared to allow the town council to arrange for the grass to be cut, after complaints it has now become a fire hazard because it has grown so long.

Residents also raised concerns over the state of the police building itself, especially with a build up of leaves and loose paving stones and potholes.

One little girl, Carol Weddle, was given a special mention for clearing the leaves outside the station and Mr Hogg said he would thank her personally.

Barnard Castle mayor, Councillor Sandra Moorhouse, said the parties were working as quickly as they could on a solution and the another public meeting would be arranged following the town's full council meeting on July 16.

Mr Hogg also gifted the town council a milk jug, following a previous meeting when he discovered the existing one was faulty and promised to replace it along with gifting the green to the town.