A BAN on some developments of more than five houses across Richmondshire could be scrapped when councillors meet next week.

Richmondshire District Council introduced the interim moratorium a year ago after reports showed that house building rates were likely to exceed Government allocations.

In August, a planning application for three houses at Aldbrough St John was rejected because planning permission had already been granted for two barn conversions at the same location.

A planners' report to the environment and planning committee on Tuesday says the moratorium led to housing schemes being modified over the last year.

This has led to less efficient use of land and to proposals for much larger houses. In one case, a scheme for six family-sized homes near St Nicholas Drive, Richmond, was revised to four very large houses, pushing them out of the price range of many buyers. The district council has already agreed that more affordable housing is needed in the area.

The report says that results of a year's monitoring and changes in the Government's housing guidelines mean the moratorium is no longer appropriate and should be lifted from next week, with a report on the situation in six months.