AN old bus depot has won approval for a £150,000 renovation to create a junior kart track and motorised soccer game.

But the plan for the depot at the junction of Park Street and Firby Lane, Ripon - once used by the United Automobile Bus Company - can only go ahead with reduced operating hours.

Ripon area planning committee of Harrogate Borough Council imposed a restriction on operating hours, plus other conditions.

Developers had wanted to operate Monday to Saturday from 9am until 10.30pm. But this has been scaled back to 10pm.

On Sundays, instead of running the venture from 9am until 10pm it can only operate from 9am to 9pm.

In a bid to keep noise to a minimum, the applicants confirmed only electrically- powered karts would be used.

Econ Engineering, of Boroughbridge Road, Ripon, has linked up for the project with Essex-based Brentwood Park Karting, which operates kart tracks in the South-East.

Econ has developed GoBal, a motorised soccer game where the scores and referee are computerised, immobilising vehicles if they deserve yellow or red cards.

Econ has spent the past few years developing the game to help give the company a broader base. Previously, it had focused on producing road gritters, for which demand is seasonal.

The latest application has been tabled by Brentwood Karting. Earlier, plans by Econ managing director Bill Lupton to convert the depot were only given permission for three years, but the firm wanted a long-term commitment