A FORMER mushroom farm which has been set alight on numerous occasions could become a caravan park.

The former Linkside Mill farm in Gateforth New Road, near Selby, has been derelict for several years and fire crews have been called out regularly to fires at the scene.

This week, plans have been submitted to Selby District Council to create a holiday and retirement park on the site in place of the ruined farm buildings, which have been targeted by arsonists many times in in the last few years, and which developers called “redundant and dilapidated”.

Considered a brownfield site, developers GVA Hotels and Leisure and York House Leisure have detailed plans to transform it into a 168-space park, “along with a communal building, enhanced landscaping, amenity space, ponds, lakes and a large communal open area for public and private use to the north of the site”.

A report submitted to the council said: “Pre-application discussions between Selby District Council, our client and ourselves have taken place over the past year to year and a half.”

The council said a number of considerations should be taken into account by developers, to give any application weight.

These included ensuring the development would “tidy up the site and make efficient use of the site”, meet a “housing need for the elderly”, “provide low cost market housing”, “create new local employment” and “sustain local shops and services”.

The council also required council tax to be paid by future residents, and assurance that “local contractors will be used to carry out works”.

Developers said these conditions had all been taken into account, and the new plans would see the current buildings demolished to make way for the retirement village, with lakes, ponds, roads, car parking and bus laybys created.

Previous plans for the site included a proposal in 2010 for a travellers site where showpeople could have a permanent base and location to maintain and repair rides, rather than rely on rented locations.

This submission was refused in 2011.

Another submission in 2012 applied for a similar scheme, refused, but overturned on appeal. However, the site remained out of use.

The latest scheme is due to go before a planning committee later this year, with an expected determination date of November 1.