A LOCAL authority is to re-introduce a scheme to notify neighbours of planning applications - more than ten years after it was dropped.

Work has started on developing a land and property gazetteer for Harrogate Borough Council which will link with the authority's electronic mapping system.

It will identify the correct address of every building and every piece of land in the district to make informing residents about applications quick and accurate.

However, the project will take two years, and in the meantime, the practice of posting a site and Press notices and encouraging people to talk to their neighbours will continue.

Cabinet member for planning Richard Cooper said: "We wanted to do something sooner, but a stop-gap system would cost up to £70,000 - the equivalent to a 0.75 percent rise in council tax.

"With a short wait, we can do something that is more effective and much cheaper and with little effect on the council tax.

"When the new system is up and running residents will get an individual letter from the council if someone proposes to build near to them."