A FORMAL planning application for 500 new homes in Malton will be submitted to Ryedale District Council next month, following a public consultation.

As well as being asked for their views, local residents are being invited to suggest names for the massive development.

The proposals by the Fitzwilliam Malton Estate, first revealed in The Press last week, involve 46 acres of land between Castle Howard Road and Middlecave Road, with the A64 bypass forming its western boundary.

Master Planner Leon Krier - who developed Prince Charles' experimental new town Poundbury in Dorset - is involved in the scheme.

Further details were released yesterday by Roddy Bushell, manager of the Fitzwilliam Estate.

He said the development would include some sheltered housing for the over 55’s and also a mix of employment units encouraging new business start-ups.

He said the estate had a long term interest in Malton and wished to preserve its 'unique and timeless' character, and full-colour drawings by architect Jan Maciag gave an impression of how the new quarter could look.

"Mr Krier’s design would take into account characteristics of other North Yorkshire villages, which often encompass a village green, a main square, and streets that include a gentle sweep of village housing," he said.

He urged members of the public to attend a community consultation event, to be held from 10am to 5pm on Saturday March 22, at 12 Market Street, Malton, and contribute ideas.

"What we have at the moment is not ‘set in stone’. We are keen to evolve the development in line with residents’ vision of the future of Malton.

"This development would create a vibrant place to live, and would be an attractive place to call ‘home’."

He said the consultation event would feature information panels, and representatives of the development team would attend. "Views expressed at the consultation will be taken into account when the master plan is revised ready for submission with the planning application next month."