A BUILDING where generations of Wear Valley residents spent their working life is making way for a twenty-first century industrial development.

New businesses and homes 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 Forties by North Eastern Trading Estates and workers were bussed in from across the region.

Now 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 recent development control meeting, saying they hoped the development would create more jobs for the area.

Coun Eddie Murphy said: "I am pleased to see the benefits that will come to Crook on this."

Bob Wolff, of RG and T Wolff Properties, which is currently based in the building, said he was delighted with the council's decision.

He said: "The Wolff Commercial Centre was built in the Forties 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, and also worked at Ramar for 40 years, said: "It will be the end of an era. It gave a lot of women and girls the opportunity 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. We have got to look forward in its new future."