CONTROVERSIAL plans to build 38 homes on land surrounded on three sides by industrial estates are set to be thrown out by City of York Council.

Planning officers say the field at Three Oaks, York Road, Elvington, where Barratt York wants to build houses up to three storeys high, is allocated for employment use.

They say there is no evidence that the site has been marketed for employment use, and the applicants have consistently been told that the proposal is against planning policy and unlikely to be acceptable in principle. "However, they have chosen to submit a full, detailed application in an attempt to overcome a number of site-specific objections."

The officers' report to next Thursday's planning and transport sub-committee meeting says people living in the homes would suffer noise and odour from the industrial estates, and there was a local need for more employment land in Elvington.

The authority's economic development unit was concerned that complaints could be made by residents in the new homes about noise, smells, fumes, lighting and disturbance, which could then have an inhibiting effect on the companies on the industrial estates.

The council had also received 30 letters of objection from local residents, who questioned why an application had been made for housing on such an unsuitable site, surrounded by unsightly industrial buildings.

They were also concerned about the loss of employment land and about traffic problems that might be caused.

The parish council had also objected, saying it feared housing would prejudice activity on the industrial estate and had concerns about up to 60 cars emerging on to the B1228.

The parish also feared that the main sewer could not cope with additional sewage and surface water, saying that the sewer was already overloaded in periods of heavy rain when manhole covers lifted, allowing sewage to overflow into the centre of the village.

The report recommends councillors to refuse the scheme.

Updated: 09:31 Saturday, March 06, 2004