A BUILDING where generations of Wear Valley residents spent their working life is making way for an industrial development.

New business units and houses will replace the former Ramar Textiles building in Crook, where 500 people worked at the time of its closure in 1991.

The factory was built for the clothing manufacturer in the 1940s by North Eastern Trading Estates and workers were bussed in from throughout the region.

It is to be demolished to make way for three business units and 57 detached and semi-detached family homes after councillors agreed the building had outlived its use.

Members of Wear Valley District Council welcomed the application for redevelopment by RG and T Wolff Properties at a development control meeting saying they hoped it would create jobs for the area.

Councillor Eddie Murphy said: "I am pleased to see the benefits that will come to Crook on this and I wish everyone involved the best of luck.''

Bob Wolff, of RG and T Wolff Properties, which currently works from the building, said he was pleased with the decision.

He said: "The Wolff Commercial Centre was built in the 1940s and has become enormously expensive both to run and to maintain.

"Alongside the proposed residential development we have gifted a sizeable portion of land for the construction of modern industrial units for which we know there is a demand in Wear Valley.

"We also sincerely hope not only to relocate most if not all our tenants within Wear Valley but also to create new jobs by the introduction of two and possibly five new businesses in the area.''

County Councillor Bob Pendlebury, who represents Crook, also worked at Ramars for 40 years and said that it would be sad to see the building demolished.

He said: "It will be the end of an era. It gave a lot of women and girls who had never had the opportunity before to get out there and make money for themselves.

"But I think everything has its life and it was built over 50 years ago purposely for Ramars. There has been usage of it over the past few years but creating anything long term will be especially difficult. We have got to look forward.''