PLANS for a massive redevelopment of the former York Terry's factory site look set to overcome another hurdle.

Councillors are being urged to approve the final version of an appraisal of the site's historic and architectural character.

The appraisal has had to be carried out as part of the council's effort to draw up a planning brief for the former chocolate factory, which closed last year.

The brief will guide the sites owners, Grantside Ltd, who bought the 51-acre site from Terry's owners Kraft earlier this year for £26 million.

If adopted, the documents will help in the formulation and determination of Grantside's proposals to turn the factory into a hotel, offices, apartments and art gallery and museum.

A report to City of York council's planning committee, which meets next week, says a fresh draft of an original character appraisal had gone out to public consultation in August and September.

Leaflets were sent to 3,784 households near to the conservation area, which includes the racecourse as well as the former chocolate factory.

The reports by assistant community planning officer Katherine Atkinson said there had been 38 responses from the public and five from organisations.

"All responses, bar one, were positive about the document or the quality of the conservation area," she said.

The only respondent to disagree was one person who said "we have the dubious pleasure of looking at Terry's factory from our bedroom window and are stunned that this eyesore should be under consideration for preservation why cannot common sense prevail and the building be knocked down".

She said 14 responses had mentioned the special qualities of the area, in particular the dominance of the main factory building and clock tower, trees and open spaces such as Knavesmire.

Ten responses called for the boundary of the conservation area to be increased to include an area to the east and south of the factory; Nun Ings, the factory car park, and fields and allotments at Bustardthorpe and Manor Farm.

She said councillors had three options: to approve the appraisal with a number of suggested minor changes, to approve the appraisal with extra changes to those suggested or to decide not to approve the appraisal at all.

She recommended that councillors approved the amended appraisal document.

Steve Davis, managing director of Grantside, said the appraisal was effectively the last hurdle to overcome prior to the submission of an outline planning application, which he expected to happen next month.

Development will create many jobs

The new owners of the former Terry's site are planning a mixed redevelopment scheme.

York based Grantside Ltd revealed earlier this year that it wanted to turn the former Terry's office building into a hotel with a new health spa behind it.

Grantside also wanted to create thousands of jobs through new offices and to create new homes in some of the former factory buildings.

The company also has plans for a leisure space around the clock tower, with cafes and restaurants, a gallery and a museum telling the history of the chocolate works.

The company indicated earlier this year that it expected to submit an outline planning application this autumn.