TWO businessmen whose expansion plans have been held up by a village planning wrangle say they are impatient to go ahead.

Marquee company boss James Fletcher and haulage contractor Peter Monkhouse are hoping to move into bigger premises on the Sawmills Site, in Wolsingham.

Both men have depots there but do not have enough room to expand.

A planning application submitted by Yuill Homes to build a business park, access road and 100 houses is opposed by hundreds of villagers.

It was deferred last month because another development company, Banks, submitted a separate bid for 148 homes and business units on a site at Weardale Steel.

Mr Fletcher and Mr Monkhouse say they want keep their businesses in Wolsingham.

Mr Fletcher, who has 32 full-time staff and employs 30 seasonal workers, said: "We have had to put our plans on hold. We are in limbo.

"This has been on the cards for ten years and we can't wait any longer. If we had to wait for land at the steelworks it could take another five years.

"We are both local people and we don't want to see families moving out of the area.

"We can offer new jobs to replace some of those being lost when the steelworks closes."

Yuills said it was keen to press ahead with the plans.

Wear Valley District Council's regeneration director Bob Hope said: "The application could come back before committee later this month. The district is committed to bringing sites forward in that area to facilitate the development of businesses."