AN historic North Yorkshire pub with an unusual name is under threat of demolition again after planners said seven new houses should be built on the site.

Selby District Council’s planning committee blocked plans by Punch Taverns to knock down the Odddfellows Arms in Carlton last summer and replace it with eight homes, despite the authority’s officials saying the proposals should be approved.

Councillors said the development did not have enough parking and this could lead to road safety problems, but fresh plans – which have also been recommended for approval – were later drawn up by the pub’s owners and a decision will be made when the planning committee meets tomorrow.

The 18th century pub made the news in the 1980s when an extra “D” was accidentally painted onto the sign, with the mistake not being rectified when locals said they wanted the misspelling to remain.

Punch Taverns has said the business is no longer financially viable but 17 residents have objected, saying the Odddfellows Arms has been the “centrepiece” of the village for centuries, was an important local service and could still be given “a new lease of life”.

Opponents of the housing scheme also said the appearance of the houses would harm Carlton’s appearance, the site is too small for the proposed homes and the revised plans still did not have enough parking.

In a report, planning officer Claire Richards said the new scheme had one less house and five more parking spaces than before, saying: “The proposal would not adversely affect the character of the area.”

The same meeting will debate a second attempt to build three houses on part of the car park at the back of the Unicorn Inn in Bondgate, Selby, after councillors turned down a similar application in October 2012 because of flood concerns.

The renewed application, which has drawn 58 objections, has also been recommended for refusal by planners who said the site is in a “flood zone” and there were other, preferable sites where the homes could be built.