A PLEA to change a nature reserve into a green burial ground at a North Yorkshire village should be refused, say planners.

The plan for New Road, Scotton, near Knaresborough, on a site known locally as Gertrude Pastures, has been tabled by Susan Thorp.

Four years ago planning permission was turned down to use the reserve for burials, an appeal against refusal being dismissed.

Scotton Parish Council object to the scheme, saying the same conditions apply as when the appeal was turned down.

A further application for the same site in 1998, omitting use of a bungalow known as Delver's Lodge, was granted, limiting burials to 50.

Planning officer Neville Watson said the application sought burials anywhere within the nature reserve with no limit on numbers.

Mr Watson says: "This is a complex and difficult case. There may have been relatively few burials but frequency increased in recent years and it has previously been stated that frequencies may rise to one per week."

He said the applicant had been unable to identify a capacity for the site and the number of mourners.

Recommending that members of Knaresborough area planning committee refuse the application at their meeting on Tuesday, Mr Watson said the character and appearance of the area would be adversely affected.