RESIDENTS and campaigners have reacted angrily after it was revealed a long-awaited blueprint that could offer protection against controversial developments has been delayed.

It now appears that the draft version of the Craven Local Development Plan is unlikely to be ready before the summer.

Earlier this year, the former leader of Craven District Council said the plan - which residents look to as a protection against unwanted and speculative house building - would hopefully be approved early next year.

Cllr Chris Knowles-Fitton told the full council meeting in August the draft plan would go for council approval in December before being submitted to the Planning Inspectorate.

He said the council had been under pressure from residents and Skipton MP Julian Smith and it needed to be "signed off as quickly as possible".

But the plan was not brought to last week's full council meeting and is now set to return to where it started - the council's spatial planning sub-committee - in February.

It is also set to be subject to fresh consultation after the council received more than 860 new comments.

Bob Young, a member of Sutton-in-Craven Village Committee, called the delay a disgrace and said people should be made accountable.

Mr Young, who called for an explanation at last week's meeting, was told the council would give him a written response.

But a week later, Mr Young is still waiting.

"I asked the question and not a single councillor at the meeting stood up and asked: 'Why the delay?' - it beggars belief," he said.

Stephen Butcher, vice-chairman of the Craven branch of the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), said the group had several concerns about the process so far.

"We have been lobbying the council for the past three years regarding the need for an up-to-date local plan, one that truly reflects the needs of this beautiful, rural district of North Yorkshire.

"We need a strong, clear local plan and we need it soon."

A council spokesman said there had been 864 comments in response to the draft local plan which would now have to be considered.

"Most of the draft strategy and policies have been well received and the feedback has been very constructive and will be carefully considered."

They included 'interesting' suggestions for new or alternative sites that deserved to be thoroughly investigated.

"The timeline previously mentioned by the former leader would have been applicable to a scenario in which the consultation had not led to any significant new insights."

A summary of responses would be prepared for the authority's spatial planning sub-committee in February and at the same time work would start on 'additional evidence gathering'.

"Once it has gone to the committee, we will need to continue with the information gathering, the interpretation of the results and the preparation of a new draft plan. Until we have completed this work, we can't be sure what steps will be recommended to spatial committee, but there will be a need to consult again, as there will be some recommendations that our communities haven't had a say on yet."

The spokesman said only when the draft local plan was considered robust would it go forward.