THE fate of a farmer's controversial and long-running battle to open a caravan park in Teesdale will be decided at an appeal later this year.

Farmer and entertainer Paul Stephenson has been struggling for eight years to open a caravan site in Coal Road, Marwood, but has met with three rejections from Teesdale District Council.

The debate over whether to give the park the approval has sparked a number of heated debates in the council chamber during the last six months.

In December, Mr Stephenson thought he had finally got the decision he wanted, after the full council gave its consent for the proposal.

But at a later meeting of the development control committee, which was deciding on any conditions, planning officers revealed that a number of members had failed to notify the committee that they had already visited the site.

It was decided that the issue should be addressed again by the full council, which later refused the application in March.

Yesterday, Mr Stephenson was remaining upbeat about the appeal, which is expected to go ahead next month.

He said: "It has been a very long slog, which has been made more difficult by the fact that I've been given permission and then told I can't open the park.

"I've done everything the council has asked me to do and hopefully the planning inspector will see sense and give it the go-ahead.

"It is in the interests of Teesdale as a whole, because it would bring in extra cash."

The application is for a caravan site, with toilets, showers, reception and bar area.