Concerns have emerged about work taken place at the site of a proposed new housing and care home development before planning permission has been granted.
Plans have been filed with North Yorkshire Council for 50 homes and a 73-bedroom care home on the former Central Depot Cricket Club site in Ainderby Road, Northallerton, which is owned by Arla Foods.
Developer Lovell Homes says the site is a “suitable and highly sustainable place for development” which is near to a wide range of amenities and transport links.
Supporting documents add: “The development will create an attractive extension to Romanby and Northallerton without negatively impacting the character of Romanby Conservation Area.
“It will contribute towards an identified need for housing and older persons’ accommodation in the county of North Yorkshire in one
of its largest market towns and employment centres.”
However, the scheme has already attracted dozens of objections, with 47 people writing to the council to oppose the scheme, with just three emailing in support.
The loss of an overflow car park for Northallerton Railway Station, which operated from part of the site, has been highlighted by respondents to the consultation exercise.
Concerns about the development’s impact on the road network and local health services have also been expressed, as well as the loss of green space.
In recent days, local residents have taken to social media to complain about apparent ground clearance work which took place at the site over the weekend.
Residents say they are worried about the impact of the work on wildlife and have questioned why the work has taken place before the planning application has been considered.
Romanby Parish Council has filed a complaint with North Yorkshire Council’s enforcement team after being alerted to the issue.
The unitary authority told the Local Democracy Reporting Service it was aware of the work and an investigation was underway.
But Lovell said the work was authorised.
A spokesperson said: “The works on site on land at Ainderby Road, Northallerton, have been carried out under a licence agreement with Arla Foods Ltd, which is the current owner of the land and has given its full permission and consent.
“No planning permission is required for these works to be carried out and they were undertaken following a site survey by a qualified ecologist.
“The licence agreement between Lovell and Arla Foods is a confidential document between the two parties, and it is not a requirement to provide it to the council.”
The developer said the planning application for the proposed residential development was a separate matter.
The scheme would include a mix of one, two, three and four-bedroom housing.
Existing allotments would be relocated to the north of the site.
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