AN ATTEMPT to get Richmondshire councillors to return to basics in their thinking about new offices was heavily defeated on Tuesday.

The district council has caused controversy by proposing to sell off the Station Road and York Square car parks, as well as its offices in Richmond, to help pay for a planned move to a new £4.5m headquarters at Colburn.

Two debates, at Richmond Middle School hall and at the council chamber in Swale House, have already had to be called off after an unprecedented number of protesters turned up, prompting fears for health and safety.

On Tuesday, Coun Tony Pelton called on the full council to review possible alternative accommodation for the authority at buildings which might become available, including Richmond Lower School and the Sandhurst blocks at Catterick Garrison. He called on the council to advise members of its findings and said that the viability of the proposed move to Colburn should be subject to a final decision before any contracts were signed, but his move was overwhelmingly defeated.

Coun Pelton was supported by Coun Sheila Clarke, who said the authority should be looking at all options because of the likely cost of a new building.

But council leader John Blackie said the decision in principle to move to Colburn had been taken by the full council across all parties and independents last August, with 23 members in favour, two against and three abstentions.

He added: "We looked extremely carefully at seven sites in Richmond before we went beyond the boundary to Colburn. "If we had been able to find a suitable site for the offices we envisaged in Richmond, we would probably not be moving to Colburn.

"We wanted to stay in Richmond, but no sites were available when they were closely examined."

Coun Blackie said Richmondshire would be looking at every single funding opportunity for the new offices. There would be a reality check on the cost including consultations with the neighbouring Hambleton District Council, which sold off five separate offices in preparing to move to a new purpose-built headquarters in Northallerton in 1986.

Coun Michael Heseltine called for a robust analysis of the cost of the new Colburn offices presented to the public so far, and Coun Blackie assured him that this would be done.