THE £17MILLION expansion of a popular North-East folk museum, the biggest in its 46-year history, won the enthusiastic backing of councillors today (Tuesday, April 5).

Bosses at Beamish Museum have been working on plans for a 1950s town, 1820s area and upland farm since 2009.

Today (Tuesday), the ambitious scheme, the first part of a 12-year masterplan for the County Durham open-air museum, was unanimously approved by Durham County Council’s county planning committee.

The 1950s town, near the existing 1910s town, will include a trolleybus, cinema, terraced houses, shops, aged miners’ homes, garages, a bowls pavilion and green, community centre and recreation ground.

The 1820s area will have a coaching inn, windmill, pottery, blacksmith’s, candle house, lime kiln and thatched cottage and the upland farm will be a reconstruction of Spainsfield Farm in upper Weardale, which was abandoned in the 1950s.

The £17m expansion is the largest single investment since Beamish opened in 1970. Director Richard Evans told councillors he hoped it would help the museum attract an extra 100,000 visitors a year and employ an extra 95 staff, as well as create 50 apprenticeships.

“It’s very exciting times for the museum," he said.

"We’re looking to provide new ways to experience Beamish as we continue to grow in a sustainable way, without upsetting our current strengths."

Planning permission was approved unanimously, with committee chairman Keith Davidson proudly saying in future he would tell his grandchildren that he was part of today’s (Tuesday) decision.