Planners have approved an extension of the Tindles Hill site near Longhorsley to help sustain farming, improve tourist facilities and boost the local economy.

The application for 21 pitches was made by farmer Roger Hindmarsh to build on the success of the existing site, which has 23 static caravans.

Mr Hindmarsh says income from the facility helps to pay for maintenance and replacement of farm machinery, buildings, fencing and hedgerow, and with the impending loss of the Single Farm Payment in 2012, alternative finance must be found.

He told the area's development management committee last week:
"Our enterprise, because of the nature of the land, is almost entirely livestock, cattle and sheep.

"The keeping of livestock is not a particularly profitable enterprise and involves long hours for a small return. That is not a complaint, it is a fact of the way of life we have chosen.

"If this application were not so important to our business I would not be here tonight, I would be at home helping with the lambing.

"The expansion of the Tindles Hill Caravan Park is critically important farm diversification for our small business."

Councillors heard that the existing site is well managed and screened by planting and that a traffic survey showed there would be little impact from the extension.

The applicant said a study by the Welsh Tourist Board suggested caravan owners contribute £5,000 each to the local economy, meaning his additional vans would generate £105,000 and the total site could bring in £220,000.

However, Brinkburn and Hesleyhurst Parish Council fiercely opposed the application.

In a formal letter of objection, the authority compared the size of the development to a small village and questioned the findings of the traffic survey, arguing that additional vehicles would jeopardise road safety.

The application was described as 'creeping development' in an area of high landscape value and the Parish was fearful of further extensions into the open countryside in the future.

But while Northumberland County Council planning officers accepted that the scheme would be set in an isolated location, away from existing settlements, they said it would be well screened by landscaping and would have no significant visual impact.

They said it would bring economic and tourism benefits and was acceptable to sustain an agricultural business.

Highways officers raised no objections, and though committee member Trevor Thorne had reservations about the figures quoted, he agreed the development would be beneficial.

"I think this is a good farm diversification project," he said.

"It is one that is already established and is being added to and, although I have read carefully the objections from the parish council, I think that those objections are outweighed by the evidence put before us."

The plans were approved by the committee unanimously.

The caravans must be appropriately coloured.