Third of village residents sign petition against housing plan

Protestors said the courtyard-style scheme at Hudswell, near Richmond, is out of keeping with the traditional look of the village and would be only yards from the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

Seventy-eight of the village's 200 residents have signed a petition against the proposals for 11 houses at Grange Close Farm.

The parish council has also objected.

While planning officials back the Yorvik Homes scheme, protestors said the design was wrong and fear that a proposed 8ft wall will alienate the homes from the rest of the community.

Campaigner Pat Whelan said: "It is a major development for a very small village. The piece of land is designated for housing in the local plan, and we do not have a problem with that, but the proposed courtyard development is totally and utterly out of keeping with Hudswell, which is a linear village."

She said suggestions that terraced homes would be more suitable had been dismissed.

Half of the village is in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, where planning regulations are more strict, but the development site is only yards outside the park. The proposals, a revised version of a scheme that was approved two years ago, will be discussed by Richmondshire District Council's planning committee on Tuesday.

A report by planners said the stone, pantile and slate homes and garages were "compatible in design and form with the character of the village" and resemble traditional farm buildings.

The report said: "Overall, the form and design approach proposes an attractive grouping of buildings, which are considered to be compatible with this part of the village and satisfies the requirements of the relevant planning policies."

Officers said the western end of the village, near the development site, was more open than the linear part of the village.

The council is recommended to seek a legal agreement to set aside three of the homes as affordable and available to local people only.