A LEADING councillor has hit out at developers who he believes are creating "lego-land" homes in market towns.

Geoff Ellis, chairman of Hambleton District Council's planning committee, was speaking as the authority refused permission for a historic dovecote to be demolished and rebuilt.

The building, in Long Street, Easingwold, is more than 200 years old and contains internal brick nest boxes. It is not listed, but was originally due to be preserved as the centrepiece of a development of five houses.

However, the company behind the scheme, Dovecote Developments, carried out a structural feasibility report that recommended the three remaining walls should be dismantled and completely rebuilt.

It then applied to the district council for permission to demolish the dovecote.

The Forest of Galtres Society voiced strong concerns about the plan and called for the dovecote to be retained.

Chairman Dr Frank Kirk said: "Careful restoration is the proper direction, as rebuild would be indistinguishable - a modern square room with a large arched window would result, not a dovecote.

"It is not a suitable fate for any building to be destroyed for unqualified convenience and a replica created."

This view was backed by Coun Ellis, who represents Easingwold. He said: "This building is perfectly sound. The plan was to include it in the original development. A prudent builder would have done a survey then and got a structural engineer to inspect it, before they even submitted an application. It should be rebuilt as it was then."

Coun Ellis is calling for historic features to be retained where possible. He said: "All these things are going and in a lot of cases it is creating a modern lego-land - although I'm not saying this is."

A spokesman for Dovecote Developments said the health and safety of site workers was a major factor in the decision to apply for the demolition.

He added: "We always intended the dovecote to be an intrinsic part of this development, even though it would present various design and construction challenges.

"As a result of work on site, it was suspected that the building was in a relatively unstable condition."