NEIGHBOURS have lost their battle to halt a new household waste site in Harrogate, aimed at taking the pressure off the town's lone council tip in Wetherby Road.

A government inspector has ruled that the Oak Beck Park site, near the junctions of Skipton Road and Ripon Road should go ahead despite almost 40 protests.

Inspector Leonora Rozee, ruling on a public inquiry into objections to the North Yorkshire Waste Plan, said she appreciated and understood concerns of residents.

"However, I believe most of those concerns are capable of being addressed at the development control stage," said Ms Rozee.

The inspector accepted that in traffic terms it was not an ideal location, given levels of congestion already experienced, particularly on Skipton Road.

But that, she pointed out, must be balanced against traffic unnecessarily travelling across town to use the lone Stonefall site.