CONTROVERSIAL plans to build a new gipsy and traveller site at a village near Selby will not be decided until at least October, it has been announced.

Plans to create the new 15-pitch site at Burn Airfield, which would effectively double the 12-pitch site already there, at an estimated cost of £940,000, have previously been withdrawn by the council, then resubmitted, despite public opposition.

This week, more than a year after the plans were first submitted, an email from Selby District Council to the protest group informed them “the application will not be considered by the September Planning Meeting, as there will be a revised scheme coming in and consultations upon it will need to be undertaken.”

A statement from Selby District Council said the delay was due to a report by Osprey – independent consultants on aviation issues, which suggested “valid concerns to an increased risk to aircraft operations” at nearby Burn Gliding Club, and suggests moving sections of the development away from the flight path of gliders.

A council spokesman said: “Following receipt of a consultants report the applicant has been given the opportunity to consider the report and whether they are mindful to amend their application.

“The applicant has informed the council that they are proposing to submit amended plans, not a resubmission or new application, which will be subject to a 14-day consultation period. In view of this there is insufficient time for the consultation to take place before the September Planning Committee deadline.”

The earliest the application will go to committee will be the following meeting on October 9, with any planned site visits likely to take place in the days leading up to that.

Chris Phillipson, parish council chairman, said: “I think there’s that much against it now that they need to look elsewhere because it’s not the right answer to create the biggest gipsy camp in Yorkshire in one area.”

Selby District Council recently paid £2,985 to a company which specialises in locating unexploded ordnance, to carry out a survey at the Burn site, after thousands of magnetic anomalies were found at the site.

It was later confirmed that none of the items posed a security risk, but the expense meant the authority had spent more than £6,000 on the application, which had also attracted more than 150 comments, objections and messages of support from the public.

Mr Phillipson said: “It’s not really a solution, just trying to fit a square peg in a round hole.

“As a parish council, we are just asking them to scrap the plan, as it’s time to look elsewhere, it’s costing tax mayers too much money.”