THE leader of Ryedale District Council has said she will not be resigning following the High Court ruling to block plans for a supermarket on Wentworth Street car park.

Councillor Linda Cowling said she has no intention of stepping down and did not expect any of the authority's officers to resign either.

"Members and officers tried to do the best for the district of Ryedale," she said.

"We were well advised all the way through and advised that there was a good chance of this working."

Coun Cowling said she was concerned over the ruling by Mr Justice Dove, who found in favour of the Fitzwilliam Malton Estate, which is proposing to build a Booth's store on Malton's livestock market, arguing five grounds on which planning consent granted by the council for another store on Wentworth Street car park should be deemed unlawful.

"Throughout all this each report has been read by every member of the planning committee so to say they were misled is simply not true," she said.

"Under normal circumstances who would put up this level of opposition - only anyone who has enough money to stop anything happening in Ryedale."

Coun Cowling said she felt "Jo Public" would welcome another supermarket instead of having to travel to York or Scarborough.

"The Estate has said we are trying to line our pockets, but we have no pockets to line, the council is a public body which tries to do its best for the public of Ryedale, so who is doing this for financial gain?" she said.

"I have been involved in local politics for 24 years and I have never come across anything like this before, it is unprecedented."

Councillor Paul Andrews, a member of Ryedale District Council and campaigner against a store on Wentworth Street car park, said: "We have had an inspector’s report which favours the livestock market, and we have an operator, Booths, who is interested in the site. Booths is a top range store which will bring new customers to Malton town centre, and encourage Malton shops to improve their range and diversity.

"What the council proposed for Wentworth Street car part is a bog-standard Tesco-type superstore which will not bring new customers into Malton, but will simply take most of its trade from existing Malton shoppers and kill the town centre. This is not an improvement but more of the same.

"The council should accept the decisions of the inspector and the judge and give the Estate the chance to prove they can achieve their proposed development. Malton has an operator who is ready and willing to develop the livestock market by building a top range food store which should bring new customers into Malton and revitalise the entire town centre. This is a wonderful opportunity and I do hope members will put an end to this saga and 'seize the moment'.”