DEVELOPERS want to build 80 new homes on the site of a York industrial plant.

They plan to demolish Tarmac Ltd's batching plant at Ouse Acres, off Boroughbridge Road, along with a disused RR Donnelley warehouse, and build 48 town houses and 32 apartments.

Tarmac Ltd, which employs five staff at Ouse Acres, intends to relocate to new premises at Clifton Moor, where the company already has another base.

Tarmac and Blackwell Ltd have submitted a joint planning application to City of York Council.

Of the 80 homes, the applicants propose 30 per cent being affordable housing - below the council's 50 per cent requirement.

A supporting statement, written by Richard Walters at the applicants' agent Gerald Eve, said 24 of the properties should be affordable.

The statement said: "The site, which is currently half vacant, has the capacity to achieve high-quality housing. The mix of housing in the development should reflect the housing needs in York. The site is eminently suitable for housing - it is surrounded by other residential developments and its development would be environmentally sustainable.

"The development of this site would protect greenfield land and the site has potential to incorporate open space into its layout."

Tarmac Ltd said it had found business increasingly difficult since the development of housing around them, on the former Donnelley print works.

A spokesperson wrote: "Since the development of Sovereign Park to the north of the site and the predominantly residential nature of the surrounding area, it has become progressively more difficult to access the site with ease from Boroughbridge Road.

"Tarmac requires an industrial location from which to operate with a suitable road network for the specific use of heavy goods vehicles and high-capacity commercial traffic.

"Given the redevelopment of the adjacent property, the site at Ouse Acres is less attractive to Tarmac as an operational plant.

"A new plant at Clifton Moor will bring increased expenditure to the area, there will be no loss of employment at Ouse Acres as all staff will be relocated to Clifton Moor, together with the possibility of further employment opportunities for the area."