A FUTURISTIC workspace complex at Stokesley has been given the go-ahead.

A building to house ten units with relevant facilities impressed councillors with its design.

Members of Hambleton District Council development control committee said the scheme could be a blueprint for future projects. But some local people are not so sure.

Parish councillors in Great Broughton said the design was out of place in such a rural setting and that a boundary hedge would make it look like a prison.

The managed complex will be at Ellerbeck Way on Stokesley industrial park. There will be separate units for start-up businesses, supported by a main reception and communal area.

On a corner site, each unit will have around 80 square metres of space.

The open site has a mature hedge along its boundary, and the building has accommodation arranged in an oval shape over two floors.

The central area is open space covered by a polycarbonate roof, raised to three-storey height by glazed panels. The flat roof two-tier office structure is faced with steel louvres. The scheme includes a 38-space car park.

At the committee meeting on Thursday of last week, Coun David Smith said: "I am excited about this development.

"It is innovative and pushes at the boundaries of what we might be able to achieve on our industrial estates and even some residential ones. We do not always have to do things as they have been done in the past. It's great stuff."

Coun Ian Grieve said the design was delightful but he was concerned about the long-term look of the area.

"As it weathers it could become difficult and use of the right materials is vital," he said. "I hope our planning officers will ensure these things are as they should be. We don't want this to be obtrusive in the future."

Great Broughton Parish Council had objected to such an innovative design.

A statement from the council said: "We are not against the innovative design of the building if located in an urban setting.

"But it is totally unacceptable for an industrial estate in a rural location and out of keeping with the design of adjacent buildings.

"It is too futuristic and the proposed boundary fence gives it the appearance of a prison.