A POPULAR caravan site looks likely to be allowed to increase its capacity by 158 caravans.

Lambton Adventure Park Ltd has applied to Teesdale District Council to reorganise its site layout at Witton Castle and increase the number of static caravans.

Although Evenwood and Barony Parish Council has requested the design is amended, planning officers at the district council have recommended the plans are approved.

The new management of the caravan site has discovered many areas are in breach of planning and site licence restrictions, so is hoping to redevelop the site in order to resolve the problem.

The proposal involves reducing the number of static caravans on the site to 256 and putting an additional 219 static caravans on a field south-west of the site.

The application also includes installing 24 timber-clad holiday cabins.

The parish council said the site was growing too fast and in the past, councillors had received complaints about noise.

The parish council has requested an Environmental Impact Assessment is carried out. However, planning officer Wendy Thompson said the noise complaints have emanated from other parts of the Witton Castle estate

She said there are no complaints being investigated by the authority's environmental health section.

She said: "The proposed scheme would result in a visual improvement to the site and would also improve the highways access to the site as there would not be influxes of touring caravan users when rallies were being held."

The planning committee will discuss the application on Wednesday.