An environmental charity is piling pressure on Durham County Council to make a decision about the future of an airstrip in remote Teesdale.

After the landing ground was built without formal planning permission there has been increasing scrutiny from conservationists.

The airstrip on remote moorland in Lartington High Moor has been described as causing 'substantial harm to the landscape'.

Richard Cowen, chair of countryside charity CPRE in the North East, worries that if action is not taken soon then the development will be allowed to stay.

He said: "We first drew attention to the building in February, 2021 at which point it had already been erected and tracks put in place for an airstrip to land light planes on.

"An application to retain the building was made later in 2021 and a number of objections received to it but the application remains undecided and, from a check on the website, little action appears to have been taken.

"Our original letter to the council is now over two years old but no decision has yet been made and we are concerned that if permission is refused and the decision made that it should be removed, such action may become time-barred."

The Town and Country Planning Act 1990 restricts councils from taking action against developments after four years have passed from the time of the development.

The Teesdale airstrip is now in its third year and conservationists worry that Durham County Council won't act.

The project has worried environmental campaigners as the site lies within the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and is close to a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and Cotherstone Moor Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

In a report on the building and landing strip planning officials described the site as 'industrial' and out of touch with the surrounding area.

They said: "The proposal fails to conserve and enhance the natural beauty or protect the wildness, tranquillity and ‘naturalness’ of the moorland landscape.

"The development has introduced a conspicuous manmade modern structure into attractive, remote moorland, which is largely devoid of manmade structures.

"This is exacerbated by the building’s scale and design, which appears inappropriately industrial - the effect at site level and wider surrounds has been transformative.

"It is unlikely that the harm of the building or harm to experiential factors such as scenic beauty, tranquillity and to the remoteness and wildness qualities that are fundamental to this unspoilt and designated landscape could be reduced through design changes or additional mitigation."

The CPRE is pushing for the landing strip and building to be removed before the clock runs down.

Stephen Reed, planning development manager at Durham County Council, said: "We are aware of the relevant enforcement timescales applicable to this case.

"Following the submission of additional information and the receipt of consultation responses, we intend to determine the planning application shortly."