THE plan to build a gas processing plant on the edge of Thornton-le-Dale suffered its second setback in less than a week when Ryedale District Council’s planning committee unanimously vetoed the multi-million pound scheme.

Nearly 50 residents packed the council chamber last week to hear Jerry Scarr, leader of one of the two protest groups set up to fight the scheme, tell councillors that the existing gas plant site at Knapton should be explored instead because the new scheme which would “transform the landscape”, adding: “It is totally inappropriate for this area.”

Coun Keith Knaggs, council leader, said: “There could be a proposal for exploiting our gas reserves that I will support, but not this one.”

Coun Janet Sanderson said there was a fear of pollutants associated with a sour gas processing plant, adding: “This plant would be more at home at Middlesbrough than on the edge of Thornton-le-Dale.”

A survey carried out for the parish council by NWA Social and Market Research Ltd said 82 per cent were against the Moorland Energy plan, and just under 12 per cent favoured it.

Gary Housden, the council’s senior planning manager, said: “The sour gas supply, if exploited sensitively, has the potential to contribute towards the security of gas supply for the nation, albeit a very low level. The development proposal, however, lies in an extremely sensitive location, being partly within the National Park and partly in an area of high landscape quality.” He said the plant would be “an unjustified alien feature on the edge of the National Park”.

Glen Sharp, legal adviser to DLA Piper, and Moorland Energy’s representative, said: “The Ryedale Gas Project should be viewed as a critically important contributor to Britain’s energy demands.”

He added that the project would bring “significant economic benefits to the area”, creating 20 to 25 new full time jobs, 10 new apprenticeships, inject more than £10 million into the local economy over the next 15 years.

“If it was approved we are fully committed to ensuring that there will be no operational nuisance from unpleasant smells, noise or light,” said Mr Sharp.

The National Park Authority has also rejected the scheme which now goes before the North Yorkshire County Council at the end of the month, prior to a Government planning inspector’s inquiry on October 25.