THE team behind a new 500-home development in Malton is keeping its options open after the scheme was refused planning permission.

Ryedale District Council’s (RDC) planning committee last week unanimously voted against the High Malton development submitted by the Fitzwilliam Malton Estate (FME).

Hannah Andrew, of WYG, the developer acting for FME, told the committee the plan for the 21-hectare site between Castle Howard Road and Middlecave Road was “an exceptional scheme”.

But in a statement released this week the estate said: “At a meeting conducted in commendably good spirits, local residents made their views known about the future of development in Malton and the need for infrastructure improvements.

“The estate’s planning advisors will now reflect on what they learnt at the meeting and consider options for the future.”

RDC planning officer Jill Thompson had recommended the refusal of the application, which had been with council for one and a half years and “raised a number of issues and concerns”.

Reasons cited for refusal included concerns over the development’s size, air pollution, traffic, lack of social housing and damage to the views of areas such as the Howardian Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

West Malton Residents’ Group (WRMG), pictured, campaigned against the plan and staged a protest of more than 60 people before the meeting at Malton School.

WRMG chairman Ian Conlan said: “I’m absolutely delighted. I wouldn’t have dreamt that it was going to be such an open and shut case.”

The group added in a statement: “We were disappointed that the estate wasted their speech in attacking the planning department, which was a rather a sad reflection of their inability to view the development through the understandable concerns of both council planners and residents.

“We want to emphasise that as a group we are not against any housing, but that we opposed this particular application due to its size and setting insensitivity to its setting.”

Local ward member, Councillor Lindsay Burr said: “This development will exacerbate the terrible, terrible problems that we have on Butcher Corner. Housing is very important to Malton and the surrounding areas, but not at any cost.”

However, Malton School headteacher Rob Williams backed the “aspirational application” and said he was also speaking on behalf of the heads at the town’s two primary schools.

He argued the High Malton development would mean more pupils and therefore more vital funding for local schools.Ms Andrew said the report was “particularly regrettable” and had a “frustrating focus on detailed matters at this outline stage”.

She said: “We have taken great care to design an exceptional scheme.”