A LIMESTONE quarry near Scotch Corner is to be reworked after lying dormant for decades.

North Yorkshire County Council has given the go-ahead to expand Melsonby quarry, just off the A1 near Barton, despite objections from Richmondshire District Council and residents.

Dimensional English Stone wants to extract up to 100,000 tonnes of building and rockery stone over 15 years.

Objectors were concerned mainly about dust, noise and extra traffic, and district council planners felt the scheme would harm the countryside and wildlife.

However, in a report to the county planning committee on Tuesday, Mike Moore, director of environmental services, said conditions attached to the permission would address such concerns.

Water bowsers and sprays would prevent dust, stone would be cut by saw rather than blasting, and lorry movements would be two or three a day. The site would be screened by trees, hours of operation limited and the site restored to farmland.

The quarry, which provided stone for construction of the A1 but has not been worked for about 30 years, is close to the line of the Roman Dere Street.

Though no known archaeological remains exist there, work will be monitored by the county archaeologist