CONTROVERSIAL plans to build 41 new homes near Bedale have come under fire from residents concerned about road safety.

The 41-home development proposed for Aiskew, on land to the rear of 28 Bedale Road, has been met with criticism from the parish council and local residents who think increased traffic will blight their quiet community.

However it has been recommended for approval by planning officers from Hambleton District Council and will be debated on Thursday, December 11.

The applicant, Taylor Wimpey (North Yorkshire) Ltd, has set aside 11 of the houses as affordable homes with the remaining 29 being for open market sale.

The development will have a mix of two, three and four bedroom homes, and there will also be a bungalow included in the site.

Neighbouring residents have submitted 11 letters of objection to the development, with the main concerns being the amount of vehicles coming into adjoining Badger Hill Drive, lack of safe pedestrian crossings, and current infrastructure being insufficient.

Badger Hill Drive resident Alison Metcalfe said the road was currently quiet but would be disrupted by the new development.

She said: “Badger Hill Drive does experience problems with parking at the entrance.

“The road is shaped in such a way that if you are coming in from Bedale and vehicles are parked at the entrance, the blind sports mean you don’t see cars coming out – there have been near misses already.

“It would be sensible to hold off on developments until the Bedale relief road is up and running – the volume of traffic on the A684 would be dramatically reduced."

Originally the scheme was to incorporate a loop road to link the site with another development to the north – but this has since been altered to create access through Badger Hill Drive and into Fox Covert Close.

Taylor Wimpey has submitted a transport assessment carried out to look at the impact of the development on the roads, which found there would be less than one vehicle movement every two minutes, with no noticeable impact on the Badger Hill Drive and Bedale Road junction.

Planning officer David Gibson said residents in Fox Covert Road would experience more through traffic but that the road is capable of withstanding it.

He added that a planning condition to remove development rights for garage conversions to rooms would protect the level of off street parking, and that other conditions would be put in place to limit the times of delivery vehicles and manage works traffic.