A SCHEME to demolish a derelict former cinema in the heart of a Ryedale town and replace it with two new homes has won support from the local town council.

Mortgage Guarantee plc is seeking approval to knock down the building which was once home to the Castle Cinema in Burgate, Pickering, so a pair of five-bedroom houses can be built. The plans have now been backed by Pickering Town Council, which said the cinema building was “out of keeping” with the rest of the street and had become an “eyesore”.

The applicants originally intended to build nine flats on the site, but revised their plans after saying there was likely to be more demand for family homes.