HOMES could be built on Bishop Auckland's auction mart site, three years after trading there was ended by the foot-and-mouth disease epidemic and changes in livestock laws.

Darlington Farmers Auction Mart, which owns the site, has applied for outline planning permission to demolish the auction ring and cattle pens and build an unspecified number of houses.

Wear Valley District Council's development control committee is expected to approve the application when it meets tomorrow.

The mart's weekly Wednesday sales closed at the start of the foot-and-mouth outbreak in February 2001 and never re-opened.

Chairman John Earle blamed a combination of reasons, including shoppers switching from local butchers to supermarket meat, and the effects of new laws relating to cattle movement following the epidemic.

He said: "It wasn't viable to restart operations at Bishop Auckland after foot-and-mouth. Our trade was mostly sheep and cattle sold for their meat. It was already declining before foot-and-mouth.

"Unfortunately, it is a sign of the times that markets are having to centralise and become more efficient. We need large units with a large throughput to attract the buyers.

"It wasn't happening before foot-and-mouth, when most of the trade was from local buyers. Now the supermarkets are predominant and the turnover just isn't there."

Mr Earle said the site would be sold to a developer if planning permission was granted.

The area for building would be restricted to the land covered by the mart buildings and hard standing.

Although the highways authority Durham County Council has raised no objection to the development, there have been claims that it would increase the amount of traffic on the busy South Church Road.

Planning officers say that it would be unlikely that any other use could be found for the site and are recommending councillors give their approval.

But they say that the layout, design and appearance of the development should be high quality because it will be clearly visible from the Bishop Auckland bypass and South Church Road.

The committee meeting is at 6pm, in Crook Civic Centre.