A GOLF course on the outskirts of Knaresborough could become the site for 2,500 new homes under new plans by York developer Skelwith.

The company, which secured planning permission to build a hotel at Flaxby Golf Course four years ago, says it is now exploring the possibility of creating a new village on the site.

In what it is describing as a "revised masterplan" for the site, Skelwith says it is still committed to building the hotel, but is also looking at creating a primary school, a village centre with shops, a doctors surgery and business and office units.

A spokesman for Skelwith said: "Harrogate Borough Council needs to find a substantial amount of land for housing and employment development to maintain the district's prosperity in the years ahead.

"It needs to avoid green belt sites, and to choose locations which are both sustainable in planning terms and which are in places where people want to live and work.

"In this context, we believe the golf course and other land may have a role to play, and this possibility is currently being explored. However, the matter is at a very early stage, and the idea is still evolving."

The early stage development plans include a number of bus routes, with the site accessed via the new £4 million roundabout, created as part of Skelwith's investment in the site's infrastructure.