PLANS have been submitted to re-open a petrol station in Weardale which has been closed for the last five years.

Applicants James Hall and Company want to redevelop Mill Garage in Wolsingham and reopen it as a filling station with four pumps, a convenience store, cash machine and a 28 space car park.

The garage off Durham Road, is close to the village’s former steelworks.

At the moment residents must travel six miles to Crook for the closest place to fill up.

The applicants say the proposal will benefit the area because it would restore a petrol station to the village, provide a convenience store within easy walking distance to houses on the eastern side of Wolsingham and improve the appearance of the “vacant and derelict” site.

Previously the site was used a general garage, providing vehicle repair, servicing, MOTs and a filling station.

The application says: “The proposal would replace the unsightly and somewhat dilapidated buildings that presently occupy the site. Without the investment that would be delivered by the proposal this prominently located site on the main road frontage through Wolsingham would become an even greater blot on the local landscape.”

They add the shop would be a “more sustainable solution” for people living on the eastern side of the village, who are currently more likely to be reliant on their cars to access shops in the centre of Wolsingham.

Despite concerns from Durham County Council planning officers that the development could impact the viability of Wolsingham village centre, the applicants say it will not pose a threat to other businesses because of an increased demand for convenience shopping.

According to a retail study carried out on behalf of the applicants, there has been a 25 per cent increase in the amount of money spent on convenience shopping in Wolsingham since 2009, reaching an estimated £1million in 2013.

An extra 200 homes could be built on land close to the development site at the village’s former steelworks and sawmill.

So far no objections to the scheme have been received. The plans can be viewed by visiting the planning portal on www.durham.gov.uk.