THE long-awaited bypass for Chilton village is expected to move a step nearer to reality this week.

Planning officials at Sedgefield Borough Council will discuss plans for the £8m bypass at a meeting on Friday.

The proposal, which was first mooted in 1939, will involve the construction of a 2.3km stretch of single carriageway to the west of the village.

The scheme includes the construction of roundabouts near the entrance to Chilton Industrial Estate, on the C36 road, and the Middridge Lane junction of the A689 and C35 roads.

Fourteen houses in West Chilton Terrace will have to be demolished to make way for the road, and some sports pitches and allotments will also have to be removed.

The bypass scheme, which has been welcomed by most of the people in the village, will relieve some of the pressure on the A167, which runs through Chilton.

The village developed as a coal mining community around the former Great North Road in the 18th and 19th centuries, but it has grown considerably.

The scheme received formal planning permission from Durham County Council last week, subject to comments from other authorities.

Sedgefield's planning officers will recommend members raise no objections to the scheme.

But they do have some concerns, mostly relating to landscaping. Council officers want more planting included in the scheme, to protect local amenities.

They will also ask for measures to compensate for the loss of a network of footpaths and more consideration for the fate of bats and other local wildlife.

A report to the development committee says: "There is no doubt that this scheme would have significant benefit to the quality of life within the village, particularly for those presently living alongside the A167 and people using local shops and other facilities.

"Whilst there are no provisions within the scheme to carry out street works or landscaping within the village, this is being investigated as a separate issue.

"It is hoped an opportunity will arise in the not too distant future to achieve such environmental improvements to the road corridor through the heart of the village."

If all goes according to plan, it is hoped the scheme can start in July 2004.