Teesside and Newcastle airports must explain by the end of the year whether homes will be knocked down and beauty spots destroyed by their expansion.

The Department of Transport has demanded a "masterplan" from the airport operators to calm any fears among local people about the impact of expected growth.

Teeside Airport was given the green light last year to extend both its terminal and its runway, amid predictions that passenger numbers will double by 2030.

The airport was considered ideal for expansion, because few people were affected by noise and because a new access road and bus links to Darlington and Middlesborough were in the pipeline.

At Newcastle, the government White Paper again threw its weight plans for an expansion of terminal facilities and a 360 metre runway.

Now the department for transport has asked all 30 airports earmarked for expansion to draw up an initial masterplan this year, with a more detailed strategy by the end of 2005.

Each plan must tackle issues such as increased noise, more traffic, access, the loss of open spaces and, perhaps most controversially, "any proposed land and property take".

It must cover the period up to 2015, with "indicative land use plans" up to 2030. It must then be updated regularly to take account of changing circumstances.

Tony McNulty, the aviation minister said: "The publication of airport master plans will help local people to understand the scale and impact of proposals for airport development.

"The guidance will give airport operators a clear indication of the range of issues which the government would like them to address as part of this process."

Leeds-Bradford is among the other 28 airports where expansion is is the pipeline and a masterplan must be drawn up.

Last week, the government unveiled new rules to protect threatened flights from Newcastle and Teesside to London, by ring-fencing slots at Heathrow and Gatwick.

The so-called Public Service Obligations (PSOs) will be introduced after warnings that direct flights to the capital could be lost as airlines switch to more lucrative routes abroad.