A business park could bring 200 jobs to the region - if it is given planning permission.

Plans are being drawn up for phase one of the £5.6m venture at Bracks Farm, on the outskirts of Bishop Auckland, County Durham. Work could start at the end of the year.

Wear Valley District Council has confirmed that it is expecting an outline planning application for the scheme in the next few weeks.

The site is expected to play a key role in the economic future of an area that has seen job losses in recent years, with the closure of some of its major employers, including Black & Decker, in Spennymoor, and the Blue Circle Cement Works, in Eastgate, Weardale.

Phase one of the scheme will see the development of 23 acres of greenfield land, which has the potential to provide office accommodation of between 1,500sq ft and 200,000sq ft. A report into the site reveals that it has "significant potential to attract larger-scale inward investors, provide growth space for existing businesses and perhaps capitalise upon some of the spin-offs from other nearby developments.'

Most of the funding for the project will be provided through a private company called Priority Sites, which is a partnership between the Royal Bank of Scotland and English Partnerships.

Wear Valley District Council is setting aside £140,000 from its capital budget this year to provide access and infrastructure for the site.

Bob Hope, strategic director for the environment and regeneration at the council, said: "We are expecting a planing application for the site soon.

"We cannot really say when work would start until the plans are approved."