PLANS to develop a business park at Durham Tees Valley Airport are no further forward after concerns over its location.

An open meeting of Darlington Borough Council was held yesterday, at which proposals to build the park on greenfield land north of the airport were discussed.

However, residents of nearby Middleton St George, near Darlington, are worried the park's buildings will overlook homes on the Oaktree estate.

A disused football pitch at the entrance to the airport was put forward as an alternative.

Councillor Jim Ruck said: "It was an open meeting to discuss the possibility of developing on greenfield land or whether or not an application to build on brownfield land could be submitted."

The park is part of a £56m expansion, which includes a refurbished main terminal, extended car parks and a new maintenance village.

Former Darlington mayor Councillor Doris Jones attended the meeting representing the residents of Middleton St George.

She said: "The purpose of greenfield land is that it is not developed on to benefit the surrounding area and should only be built on if absolutely necessary.

"In this case, it is not necessary. There is brownfield land north of the airport and still adjacent to where the new terminal is to be built, which would be suitable for the business park."

She suggested an application to develop on the brownfield site should be submitted.

She said: "My concern is that if the application is given the go-ahead by the planning committee, then it will be seen by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, which is sure to ask why we are looking to build on greenfield land and it will ask if there is other land more suitable.

"Putting a new application through now would save time."