A church congregation is a step closer to getting a new centre of worship after planning permission was granted to demolish offices and sell the land for houses.

Sedgefield Borough Council yesterday agreed that the Christian Life Centre's offices in Burnhope, Newton Aycliffe, would be an ideal site for housing. The news will be a boost to church leaders, who are trying to generate cash to build a bigger church centre to accommodate a growing congregation.

The church, established in 1967, moved to Woodham Way in the late 1980s, but in less than two decades it has grown out of the main building, despite an extension.

The church attracts 600 people to services and events and Sunday worship has become so popular that there are now two family services, one in the morning and one in the evening.

There are also youth groups, including Planet Youth for 11 to 25-year-olds, and Planet Kids for primary school children, and both have about 200 members.

So far, the congregation has raised about £100,000 this year and it is hoped that the money will go towards clearing a debt on Hope House with the rest going towards a new building.

Church leaders want to sell Hope House, which is used to accommodate staff, store equipment, for meetings and training sessions, along with other assets to generate more cash towards the move.

The outline planning application for Hope House is for residential development.

Details of the layout of the site, design of the buildings, access and landscaping is yet to be detailed.

Councillors agreed that the land could be used in principle for a residential development because the site is located within the main area of Newton Aycliffe and within an existing established neighbourhood.