PLANS to redevelop a former Butlins holiday park on the North Yorkshire coast have been approved after years of wrangling.

The park, in Filey, attracted 11,000 holidaymakers a week at its height, until it closed nearly 20 years ago.

Run by Knaresborough business tycoon Trevor Guy, it is to become 500-unit holiday village.

It will have leisure facilities, fast food restaurant, tennis courts, indoor swimming pool, hotel, garden centre, public house, restaurant, antiques market, workshop and craft units, and bandstand in a scheme drawn up by Amtree Park Developments Ltd.

Problems had arisen over the development after the discovery of great crested newts and badgers on the site.

Gordon Somerville, Scarborough Council's head of planning services, said latest plans had resolved most of the issues on the development.

The newts are to be protected on the site following concerns by English Nature and extensive research had been carried out into traffic management. Changes have been made to the design of the hotel, leisure centre and garden centre to make them more sympathetic with the coastline.

The company had originally wanted 900 holiday units but this had been reduced to 500 following talks with the developers, said Mr Somerville.

Barton Willmore Partnership, consultants for the developers, said it had made changes following concerns by planning officers and councillors on the original scheme.