Traffic concern as firm's expansion approved

Members of Ripon area planning committee of Harrogate Borough Council approved the scheme at I'Anson Bros Ltd, Thorpe Road, Masham, backing a planning officer's recommendation for approval.

The scheme will mean erecting a large ridge-roofed warehouse, clad in dark green materials to match an existing warehouse.

Planning officer Mike Warden said: "There has been an extensive history for the alter-ations and extension of buldings on this site, too numerous to record, over the past 30 years. Suffice to say that all previous planning applications have been approved."

Mr Warden said trees and hedges around the site were well established and the complex of large mill buldings was becoming better assimilated into the landscape.

But he said when the new warehouse was built and vehicles parked on the side extended into a field, it was important new trees were planted.

Mr Warden said the need for a new warehouse was in response to installation of a micronising process resulting in a dramatic increase in demand for the company's products from around the country.

This had meant an increase in large vehicles, mostly bulk tankers. It was likely these vehicle movements would increase when the new warehouse was operational.

"Unfortunately, nearly all the traffic attending the mill passes through Masham.

"The company tries to operate a policy of restricting traffic to the site between 6am and 6pm, although I have noticed vehicles are still coming to the site after 6pm," he said.

Because the mill operates around the clock, there was potential for traffic to be generated throughout 24 hours.

The planning officer said because of potential disturbance to so many people whose homes fronted on to the main road through Masham, it would be appropriate to limit hours when vehicles could enter and leave the site.

Mr Warden said discussions had been taking place with the company on the exact hours of operation.