VILLAGERS from a north Durham hamlet have bombarded their council with protest letters against plans to build a floodlit park for hundreds of cars and caravans.

But officers have recommended Derwentside District Councillors approve the plans at the new caravan factory at Knitsley near Delves Lane, Consett.

Owners of the Elddis caravan park want to build a 50,000 square metre caravan compound and car park with floodlights and CCTV cameras.

The officers decided to recommend that councillors approve the plans conditionally, after assurances from the factory owners, The Explorer Group, that a new access road to the car park will be built to stop much of the traffic going through the village.

But 29 letters of protest, many from Howsgill Drive and Butsfield Lane residents, have been received from villagers worried about traffic levels, loss of privacy caused by the floodlights and CCTV cameras and noise and light pollution.

Residents also packed out a public meeting recently in Delves Lane Village Hall to argue with company representatives.

Ward councillor Caroline McCardle - whose husband Richie is a leading member of the planning committee - wrote to the council to register her disquiet.

She said: "If this access is given permission I am extremely concerned that not only would the increase in volume of traffic cause a nuisance and noise disturbance, but also the safety of the residents, especially the children, would be jeopardised."

Project manager at the factory, Bill Donaldson, argued that the new access road to the car park would solve many of the problems concerning road safety.

He said: "We can remove the private car traffic before it gets to the village, and hope that is a good compromise.

"The other traffic we can't do anything about, but I would stress that the site has been a designated industrial park area for a long time."

Councillors will debate the issue at Consett Civic Centre at 2pm on Thursday.

Plans for the £3m 300,000 sq ft factory were announced in January. It will employ about 400 people.