A businessman wants to build an aircraft hangar beside his home in a peaceful village.

Ashley Renham, managing director of a plastics factory, has applied for planning consent to put up the structure for his helicopter at Lartington, near Barnard Castle, County Durham.

Mr Renham often lands his Gazelle, an ex-military helicopter, in the grounds of his home and sometimes keeps it there in the open air overnight when the weather is fine.

But when he wants to use a hangar he has to land at Stainsby, near Thornaby, Teesside, and that means travelling more than 20 miles by road to and from his home.

The application is the first for an aircraft hangar to be submitted to Teesdale District Council.

Planning officer Andrew Bishop said yesterday: "There are several issues to be settled about it, so I can't say what the decision will be."

Mr Renham pilots the craft all over Britain to meet clients of his firm, Renham and Wade, based in Middleton in Teesdale. It makes plastic mouldings for many large companies, including GlaxoSmithKline.

He said yesterday: "It will be a big help if I can have a hangar at home.

I already fly in and out of Lartington quite a lot without disturbing anyone, so a new building should not be a problem."

Members of Lartington Parish Council have inspected the application for the 12 metre by 14 metre hangar, and have agreed to the plans, apart from asking that the roof be a colour different to the grey proposed.

Mr Renham has expanded his firm steadily since starting it in a small workshop 20 years ago with one other man, who has since left.

He took over a string of other workshops in Middleton in Teesdale, but is now having a large factory built there to continue the expansion.