PLANS to build 417,000 new homes throughout Yorkshire, including massive green belt intrusion and huge developments in the York, Harrogate, Ripon and Leeds areas, emerged today.

Protests are mounting over the idea for a new town for 25,000 people on some of the country's top agricultural land between Ripon and Thirsk.

Major housing development moves are also being suggested for the "golden triangle" bounded by Harrogate, Leeds and York.

Other ideas include expanding market towns.

Planning chiefs throughout North Yorkshire are mulling over initial suggestions to meet the area's housing needs up to the year 2016.

The far-reaching moves emerged after members of the Yorkshire and Humberside Regional Planning Conference, which meets regularly to advise the Government, asked a firm of planning experts to come up with housing needs into the new Millennium.Asked for his reaction to a new town in the Harrogate district between Ripon and Thirsk, farmer and councillor Chris Brown, who represents the Wathvale area, said: "I'm gobsmacked. People might accuse me of 'not in my backyard', but I would say to them not in our living room. And by that I mean farmers' living rooms in this area.

"This area has some of the best agricultural land in the country. It would be devastating. I just could not believe it when I heard.

"It would mean a town two and a half times the size of Ripon in an area dotted with small villages," said Coun Brown, who is leader of the Conservative group on Harrogate Borough Council.

Meanwhile, Coun Peter Sowray, a member of North Yorkshire County Council, who attended the regional planning conference, said the new town would be too far from jobs in the middle of countryside. It would merely lead to more commuting. He said North Yorkshire could not be accused of the "not in my back yard" attitude because they were already providing for in-migration. But he said North Yorkshire had yet to make an official response to the scenario.

He said news of the suggestions were just filtering through to local people. "They simply can't believe that, of all the places in Yorkshire, they have been targeted," he said.

Villages in the area include Wath, Rainton, Asenby, Baldersby, Marton-le-Moor and Melmerby.

The conference is made up of representatives from all planning authorities. They provide advice on environment issues for Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, who is also the environment minister. A top firm of London-based planning experts, the Baker Partnership, has been engaged by the conference to report on housing options for the future.

The regional planning spokesman said they were months away from positive moves.

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