FEARS about traffic hazards could block plans to create a new sports and show ground near Thirsk.

Councillors will next week be urged to turn down a plan to change farm land at Knayton for use by Borrowby Agricultural and Horticultural Society. A lack of information about access and the scale of traffic has led planning officers to recommend refusal.

Sport England objects, saying there are question marks over the amount of use the ground would get and maintenance costs for the community.

North Yorkshire police are also concerned about its proximity to the A19, and North Yorkshire county highways department says the application lacks information and that no existing access is suitable.

The 11-hectare site near the Knayton/Borrowby junction is used for arable crops. Plans show a new access off the A19 slip road.

The application is part of the Hillside Rural Activities Project and envisages cricket and football pitches and car parking. Suggestions for bowls, tennis, scout events and caravan rallies are included.

The Highways Agency wants to ensure that queuing traffic to the site does not affect the A19 and is urging the council not to grant permission as it feels there is insufficient information available as to whether the scheme would be compatible with road safety.

A report to Thursday's meeting of Hambleton development control committee agrees there is concern that the scale of the facility could generate considerable traffic near the A19 junction and so trigger queuing on the trunk road.

The applicants' agent has failed to provide details on levels of use and vehicle types and numbers, says the report.

And a request to cut the size of the application site to only those areas which would be in use all year round has been rejected.

The report says the site is accessible by car, but not by public transport or on foot, increasing vehicle usage.

"This puts the sustainability of the site into question," says the report. "Its suitability for children's activities is also of concern due to its remote location."

The report says that, while the proposal would not harm the countryside, it clashes with highway safety policy.