Plans for holiday park near ancient monastery in Richmond approved

Objectors to the holiday park scheme said they feared it would disfigure the local landscape

Plans for a holiday park close to a 12th Century monastery in North Yorkshire have been approved, despite objections from police and residents.

Leisure Park Ltd aims to build 12 log cabins near Easby Abbey on the outskirts of Richmond.

More than 900 people signed a petition against the scheme, claiming it would "disfigure" and "shatter" the area.

However, developers said Easby Park would respect the area's "character and appearance".

Councillors agreed the principle of the development at Easby Park Field had been set, following two previous proposals to build lodges on the site.

Both previous applications were rejected by Richmondshire District Council, before being approved by a government planning inspector at appeal.

The developer told a meeting of North Yorkshire Council the latest "scaled-back" proposal reflected residents' concerns, with a reduction in the size of the site.

Easby Abbey was founded in 1152 by Roald, constable of Richmond, according to English Heritage

Leisure Park Ltd said more than 5,300 trees and shrubs would be planted which would screen the park and create wildlife habitat areas.

However, objectors said the rural setting was "critical" to the setting of Easby Abbey, which has been described by English Heritage as "one of the best preserved monasteries in Britain of the Premonstratensian order".

'Alien features'

Residents told the meeting that building cabins would "shatter the frame of this stunning picture and seriously impact the agricultural nature of the hamlet".

The meeting was also told a North Yorkshire Police traffic safety expert had raised concerns over an increase in traffic in the area which could create pressure at road junctions.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said the proposal had generated 132 letters to the council from residents, of which 130 objected to the development.

Easby resident John Clarke told the meeting nothing had changed at the site in the 14 years since councillors overwhelmingly agreed the log cabins would appear "alien features in this attractive stone setting".

Graham Berry, from Easby Parish Council, said he feared the site would create "a new village of privately-owned wooden cabins totally out of keeping with the historic landscape it sits in."