New village work could start 'in next year or two'

Building work on a new 3,000-home community in the North Yorkshire countryside could start within "a year or two", councillors have been told.

Members of North Yorkshire Council's executive voted to adopt a masterplan framework for Maltkiln, which would be built around Cattal railway station, despite concerns from some local councillors.

The framework will be used to shape the development of the new community, which would include houses, primary schools, shops and health and sports facilities.

Councillor Mark Crane, executive member for open to business, said: "We are getting towards the stage where hopefully in the next year or two we'll see spades in the ground."

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Crane said the new settlement would be very accessible because of the trainline and planned bus service.

He said it would have buildings that were of a "high standard and require a lot less heating than older buildings would do".

Some councillors had raised concerns about the plans.

Ahead of the meeting, Councillor Arnold Warneken, member for the Ouseburn division, urged the executive to delay adopting the framework until further consultation work had taken place with local communities.

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