PLANS to extend garage space at one of the region's biggest car dealerships look likely to be approved despite residents' objections.

After being refused planning permission for extra car parking bays in September, Reg Vardy has lodged a new application for the extension to garage at Passfield Way, Peterlee.

It wants to create six bays along the north-east side of the garage, fronting onto homes in Corby Grove, along with landscaping including a hedgerow and nine trees.

The company said the development is needed to accommodate the garage's growth and help keep it viable. But the plan has provoked opposition from local residents, who have submitted a 102-signature petition and six letters to Easington District Council.

They complain that the garage already causes disturbance, with noisy loudspeakers, car fumes, extra traffic and deliveries at unsociable hours.

The residents also say that if the plans were approved, it would lead to a loss of open space, devalue their homes and pose a safety risk to children.

They say the garage has outgrown its location.

Peterlee Town Council has also raised concerns over car transporters unloading in Passfield Way, causing a traffic hazard.

In response to the objections, Reg Vardy says that the garage was there before the adjacent housing, the land is not a designated green space, and that the proposed landscaping would enhance the area.

The company also says that the expansion would benefit the community by creating extra jobs.

A report to the development control and licensing panel, which meets today, recommends that the plans be conditionally approved unless significant new objections are received.