PLANS for an eco-friendly “English country house” have been given the go-ahead despite a recommendation for refusal.

The application for a seven-bedroom detached property with detached garage, storage barn and apple orchard in Main Street, Ampleforth, was approved by members of Ryedale District Council’s planning committee.

A report to members said the intention was that the house will be built to the highest environmental standards, employing a range of passive and active technologies and design solutions to maximise thermal efficiency and to qualify as zero carbon.

A number of concerns were raised over the development from members of the public who said it was an insensitive design to the local area and would disturb curlews on the site.

Ampleforth Parish Council also expressed concern over the development of a green field site, loss of agricultural land, pressure for further development and concern over the position of the access point at Knoll Hill.

The council added: “Almost 100 per cent of local residents are opposed to the scheme as they see no benefit to the village and a loss of another green field site.”

Planning officers recommended refusal due to the impact on the open countryside and harm to the natural beauty of this part of the Howardian Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. They added: “The access road and associated engineering works will result in harmful intrusion into the Knoll Hill Visually Important Undeveloped Area (VIUA). The benefits of the development proposed are not considered to outweigh the harm to the character and appearance of the VIUA and its contribution in its undeveloped state, to the character and setting of Ampleforth.”

However, Cllr Lindsay Burr, who supported the application, said it was a very exciting proposal.

She said: “I was delighted to speak in favour of this contemporary application, that pushed lots of boundaries. I encouraged my fellow councillors to be brave and vote for something new and totally against convention in Ryedale. The design was uniquely interesting, zero carbon, will have sustainable construction and in my opinion as a planner was very very exciting.

“The application was like something I’d never seen before and I wanted to show that Ryedale could and should be a progressive planning committee, a committee that is looking for architects to bring forward innovative ideas.

“We are always looking for applications that blend in to, or enhance our beautiful landscape and, of course, enhances life styles. This design was, to say the least unique, and very interesting.

“It totally blended in to the landscape, you really had to look hard to see the dwelling. I felt this unique design would not be detrimental to the landscape.”