ANGRY residents claim their dream of escaping the city and moving to peaceful countryside near York has been shattered by the discovery that industrial units could be built on their doorstep.

Nick Southern and his family received the bombshell within hours of moving into their newly-built £200,000 house on the Wheldrake Ings estate.

A planning application has been submitted by the Gratton family to change the use of their dairy farm - situated behind the estate which has more than 30 houses - into light industrial units.

But residents say they would not have moved in if they had known about it. They claim traffic generated by the proposals could present a danger to their children, and say it would destroy their peace and quiet.

"I bought this house so we could have some quiet," Mr Southern said.

"I don't want my children to be in fear of getting knocked over when they walk to the corner shop.

"How could no one have know that this was going to happen? I feel duped."

Meanwhile, Wheldrake Parish Council is to hold an emergency meeting to discuss the issue.

City of York Council's area development control officer Roger Armistead said he received the application on June 13.

"We're currently consulting with residents over the application," he said.

"We had some difficulties getting a letter out to everyone because not all the houses have numbers yet.

"It's a controversial issue which will take longer than eight weeks for us to process."

Resident David Healey distributed the council's letter relating to the application to those who did not receive it.

"I'm very unhappy about this," he said.

"I would not have bought the house if I had known what was planned. I was happy to accept the dairy farm, but not this."

Mr Healey said he was unhappy that the plans included a car park and a turning area for delivery trucks.

"Ninety per cent of these new houses are occupied by young families," he said.

"There is now extra danger for our children. At the moment it's nice and quiet.

"We moved out here to get away from the noise of the city."

Sally Walker, an agent acting on behalf of the Grattons, said there would be no vehicle access through the new estate to the proposed site.

"All access is through Thorganby Lane," she said.

"These proposals are a result of Government guidelines to diversify redundant farm buildings. The creation of the new houses made the land unusable for dairy farming because of the livestock.

"The timing of this application had nothing do to with the sale of the houses."

A spokeswoman for Wheldrake Ings developer Bryant Homes said they were "unaware" of the application prior to residents moving in.

"We understand the concerns of residents who have moved in at Wheldrake," she said.

"We will be looking into this issue."

Updated: 10:31 Wednesday, July 09, 2003