Plans to extend a County Durham caravan site have been approved by the council, despite concerns raised regarding its impact on a historic railway.

The plans for an extension of Craggwood Caravan Park in Ramshaw, Bishop Auckland, were submitted by Craggwood Leisure Ltd who aim to add seven new static caravans or lodges to the site.

The application was approved on Tuesday by Durham County Council.

The argument in favour of the site extension pointed to its alignment with both local and national planning policies.

A delegated planning report recommended granting the extension, on the condition that certain prerequisites were met to ensure it fell in line with the County Durham Plan.

The application for the site extension also addressed issues of flood risk and a risk assessment proposed setting the caravans at a safe elevation to lessen the risk of flood damage.

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However, the development sparked concerns from the Friends of the Stockton and Darlington Railway, a local heritage group.

The group registered an objection, warning that the extension could cause physical damage to the Haggerleases Branch railway embankment and trackbed.

They also suggested that "the appearance of the seven caravans sitting on top of the embankment will harm the setting of the former railway, particularly as seen from the public footpath running alongside the site."

Despite these objections, Durham County Council officially approved the development.

The approval notice outlined specific conditions to be met by the developers to ensure compliance with planning regulations.

Measures included the protection of existing trees and hedges, flood risk management requirements, and stipulations that the caravans must be exclusively used for holiday purposes.