FIVE hundred new homes could be built in Ryedale if a planning application wins support.

The scheme, provisionally named ‘High Malton’, has been subject to extensive public consultation, with concerns voiced particularly about traffic from local residents.

A revised bid for land off Castle Howard Road, for what its planners describe as "a balanced, self-contained community of homes, shops and employment", has now been submitted to Ryedale District Council.

The proposal has been conceived by urban planner Leon Krier who was responsible for the Prince of Wales’s model village of Poundbury in Dorset.

It will include affordable homes interspersed with properties ranging from bungalows to larger family houses.

Tobias Burckhardt, the surveyor managing the development for the landowner, Fitzwilliam (Malton) Estate, which owns and manages a substantial portfolio of property in Malton, said they were grateful for the feedback at the public consultations and meetings held with local people.

"We are now confident the proposals, which envisage a mixed village community with local facilities, will over the next decade provide important new housing in a way which fits well within the existing road and community infrastructure – better than any other site in the area.

"This will be a pioneering scheme and we are excited to be working closely with the planning officers, statutory authorities and local stakeholders to deliver it."

He acknowledged the continuing concerns of local residents about the impact on Malton’s infrastructure.

"We are in discussions with the district and the county councils about the improvements and significant financial contributions we will need to make to ensure that Malton can thrive as a result of our scheme.

"In particular, the highways authority will specify what works are needed to ensure that traffic flows are managed appropriately.

"In response to concerns raised during the consultations, the design now ensures that only ten per cent of traffic generated by the site has access to Middlecave Road, the large majority of cars using Castle Howard Road with no through-road between the two.

In the initial stages of its site selection process Ryedale council identified the Castle Howard Road site as one of the more suitable locations for development in Malton.

Mr Burckhardt added: "An important factor is the ability to access facilities in the town centre on foot or by bike, which makes the site stand out in terms of sustainability and will be a great attribute for the quality of life of its residents. The site is very well located for children to walk to school."

The Estate is in active talks with a developer who would take on construction of the first phase, subject to planning consent, and the first homes could be ready in 2016.

The full application can be seen online on Ryedale District Council’s planning portal (Application Ref: 14/00678/MOUT).