Shops plan for derelict Ryedale site (From Gazette & Herald)

Shops plan for derelict Ryedale site

10:22am Monday 11th March 2013 in News By Mark Stead, Political Reporter

NEW shops and a nursery could be built on a derelict site in a Ryedale town which was once earmarked for a supermarket.

Developers have submitted proposals for a scheme for three stores alongside a day nursery on a patch of land in Welham Road, Norton, which previously housed a clothing factory.

Supermarket chain Aldi was granted planning permission for a store on the site in 2010, but then decided not to go ahead with the project because of “commercial reasons”. The factory buildings have since been demolished and Scothern Construction Limited, which owns the land, revealed in late 2011 that it was working on new plans.

If approved by Ryedale District Council, the development would also include a 57-space car park, and a decision on whether it can go ahead could be made next month. A planning statement sent to the authority by Turley Associates, the agents for the proposals, said: “The retail elements of the scheme will enable the development of the children’s nursery, which is a much-needed facility in the locality.

“The retail elements will not have a significant adverse impact on existing [town] centres or future investment. The positive impacts of the development in terms of regenerating a derelict site and increasing consumer choice far outweigh any impact on the commercial centres of Malton and Norton.”

The firm said there were no “more central” sites which would be suitable for the stores and nursery, and the redevelopment of the former clothing factory site would improve its appearance. It said Scothern Construction had looked at land between Beverley Road and Scarborough Road, the former Pasture Lane showfield and the former Travis Perkins site on Yorkersgate, and also considered the Wentworth Street car park and Malton Livestock Market sites - both of which have been at the centre of recent planning wrangles - but none were suitable.

Turley Associates’ statement said bringing the Welham Road land back into “beneficial use” would create new jobs, but there was no prospect of “community uses” at the site unless the proposed stores were also approved. It said: “It will improve the attraction of Norton as a retail destination, reducing the need for residents to travel outside the district.”

If the scheme goes ahead, acoustic fencing would be placed around the nursery’s play area to cut down on noise for people living on nearby St Nicholas Street,.