A hotel has been given the go-ahead to start work on a £125,000 development providing office space and a conference hall.

Headlam Hall Hotel, near Gainford, in County Durham, was granted permission to extend their facilities during a meeting of Teesdale District Council's development control committee.

The hotel, which was built in about 1700 and served as a manor house for centuries, is owned by the Robinson family, who also own Headlam Farms.

The hotel's office space is housed in the farm buildings, but due to the growth of the business, the owners have decided to expand the hotel.

Work on the development is expected to start next month, and should be completed by April.

Director Thomas Robinson said the 36-room hotel also hosted civil weddings and receptions and had grown considerably in the past six years.

He said: "We are delighted to get permission because we are growing all the time and need more space to develop the offices and in several years' time we hope to open a conference hall.

"We also have an average of 75 per cent of the rooms taken throughout the year, but at the moment we are concentrating on improving office space and then the conference hall."