WORK on the construction of the mixed 188 homes and business park edge of Skipton development, Wyvern Park, is expected to get underway very soon.

Henry Boot Developments, which is developing the site between the A629 Skipton bypass and west of Carleton Road, says is it is preparing to start work following Monday’s approval of the reserved matters application by Craven District Council of the housing element of the scheme.

The permission includes associated internal roads, parking and landscaping alongside highways and infrastructure for the whole site.

The council’s Planning Committee had deferred a decision at its meeting in February to get assurances from Henry Boot and Bellway Homes that highways alterations - including the building of a new roundabout off the bypass - would be carried out before work stated on the new homes.

The around 43 acre site, currently made up of fields used for grazing animals, is bounded by the A629 bypass, Carleton Road, and Waltonwrays Cemetery, and playing pitches of Sandylands Sports Centre.

The houses, including 20 per cent affordable, will be a mix of two storey, detached, semi-detached and terrace homes, with garages and off-street parking.

Work on the development, which is believed could take around two years, will take place in three phases, with the highway infrastructure taking place first, the new houses, next, and finally, the business park, which currently has just outline permission and will need reserved matters approval before it can start.

Skipton Town Council has raised concerns about a proposed amenity space next to the crematorium, claiming its ‘dangerously sited’ in that it will only be accessible over a very busy road. Councillors have asked that it should be positioned elsewhere, and also believe that the scheme does not include enough affordable homes, and that the infrastructure of the area will be put under strain.

A spokesman for Henry Boot Developments said: “The Wyvern Park proposals will deliver much needed new employment space in Craven, which will allow existing local businesses to grow and could attract new companies looking to locate here. The committee’s approval of Bellway’s reserved matters planning application is a significant step towards delivering Wyvern Park.

Henry Boot Developments are now preparing for a start of construction on site, which we expect to happen shortly.”