York planners are recommending the approval of plans to extract 330,000 tonnes of clay west of York.

The planning committee of City of York Council is set to determine the application from a Mr D Brown when it meets on Thursday (Dec1).

It concerns 6.8ha of scrubland and water south-west of Upper Poppleton to the west of Newlands Lane.

A council report said:  "The water body was created through unauthorised clay extraction in 2007 and the site is accessed from Kettlewell Lane an unmade agricultural track of some antiquity.

“Planning permission is presently sought for the extraction of approximately 330,000 tonnes of puddling clay for use in flood defences, repairing canals and reservoirs and lining waste disposal sites.

“Following extraction of the mineral it is proposed to restore the site with graded inert soils and plant the site with an oak based native woodland.”

Upper Poppleton Parish Council object to the proposal, saying local roads could not cope with the traffic it might generate, adding noise from continuous 24-hour working would harm the amenity of local residents.

However, recommending approval, planners say the impact on the surrounding landscape would be modest, including ‘modest vehicle movements’, making the scheme acceptable in highway terms.