VILLAGERS south of York are fighting plans to knock down a derelict health centre and build three new houses in its stead.

Copmanthorpe Parish Council has voiced strong objections to plans to demolish the former health centre on Horseman Lane, and build three detached town houses on the land.

The council held an emergency planning meeting to discuss the scheme after it was deferred by members of City of York Council's planning and transport west area sub-committee.

Planning permission has already been granted to build one house on the site, but now developers Pathcroft Ltd have applied to build three times that number. If the scheme goes ahead, two of the two-storey houses will have four bedrooms, and the third will have three.

Their previous scheme for four houses on the land has been withdrawn.

But parish council chairman Mike Irwin said developers were still trying to squeeze too many buildings into the space - part of which is in the village's conservation area.

Extra cars would also be brought into the village's 20mph zone, causing potential traffic safety problems, he said.

"We think the whole design is inappropriate," he said.

"We would like to see one house with a reasonable garden - that would be suitable for a conservation area.

"It's going to create problems for the people living there that we think are unreasonable."

Parish council clerk Diane Greenwell said the council would be "extremely disappointed" if the scheme was given the go ahead.

But development control officer Heather Fairy has said in a report that the health centre site was big enough to accommodate more than one house, and has recommended it for approval.

She said: "There would not be any detrimental impact upon the character of the conservation area or upon neighbouring residents' amenities."

Pathcroft spokesman James Hogg said three houses on the land would be more in keeping with the surrounding area of the village than one.

He said the scheme had already attracted interest, with houses planned to sell at "reasonable prices".

Residents would be encouraged to use buses in the village rather than getting into their cars, he said.

Updated: 10:37 Friday, April 01, 2005