PLANS for a housing development in Norton have been rejected for a second time due to concerns over flooding.

Proposals for 23 homes on a triangular area of land between Springfield Garth and Lakeside Way had been submitted to Ryedale District Council by Thomas Crown Associates Ltd.

An initial application for 18 properties on the site was rejected by Ryedale District Council’s planning committee last year.

However, the firm had subsequently put forward another plan with a further five homes with access through Lakeside Gardens.

In a report to the committee, which recommended refusal of the application, planning officer Alan Hunter said the proposed development was located within a Flood Zone.

"The Local Planning Authority considers that there are preferable areas of land at Malton and Norton which are located in areas with lower probability of flooding which are capable of accommodating the residential development proposed," he said.

Elizabeth Moss, who lives in Lakeside Way, said common sense had prevailed.

"It is an excellent result and good to see that the council had listened to the concerns of local people," she said.

"The site is on a flood plain and members seemed to listen to what residents were saying and take notice - hopefully we can now draw a line under this."

The district council had received 38 responses from people living in the area raising concerns over the volume of traffic the development would generate, a lack of car parking spaces for the new properties and the safety of children who used the right of way adjacent to the land as well as the flooding issues.

Members of Norton Town Council has also argued the plans were overdevelopment of a relatively small site and raised concerns over the impact on the sewage system.

Ryedale District and Norton town councillor, Di Keal said: "I am delighted that the planning committee refused to grant the planning permission on this site. The decision will come as a great relief to local residents who had very serious and justified concerns about the proposed development.

"Having been refused planning permission a year ago everyone was amazed that the developers, Thomas Crown Associates came back with a proposal for an even larger number of homes set in flood plain which would undoubtedly have a detrimental effect on both localised flooding and flooding from the already over-capacity sewers in Norton.

"It is simply the wrong developed in the wrong place and the decision to refuse permission is excellent news."